Why Manchester City must offer Phil Foden a new contract
When England won the U17 World Cup in India last year, there were a host of young stars who showed their class and left a mark on the whole world with their performances. But the name of a certain Englishman was on everyone’s lips. Phil Foden, who scored twice in the final, was awarded the Player of the Tournament award.
Foden is an 18-year-old, who came through Manchester City’s youth ranks and has played for club and country at the U16 and U17 levels. He first came into the limelight when he scored in the final of the U17 Euro Championship. Although England lost the final on penalties, a young star had risen from City’s academy. He even won the prestigious Golden Boy award last season.
When Foden returned from India, he seemed set to receive regular chances at the Etihad. But despite winning the Premier League quite comfortably, Pep Guardiola failed to hand him a single start in the top-flight. He just started a couple of dead rubber games in the Champions League and made three substitute appearances in the Premier League.
To make matters worse, a recent report from Daily Star has claimed that Manchester City are yet to sign the local boy on a long-term contract. Foden did start the FA Community Shield game earlier this season but his first proper start came away from home against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup.
Yes, it was just the Carabao Cup but Foden provided tantalizing glimpses of his talent. He assisted the first two goals for the Sky Blues and then, deep into injury time, he scored his first goal for the senior side.
Unlike their neighbours, Manchester City are not known for their academy and youth players. Their successes over the past decade have been fueled by vast sums of Arab money and huge transfer fees spent on big-name players. For the first time, the club have a homegrown talent in the form of Phil Foden, who has the potential to become a superstar.
The club should immediately offer him a long-term contract. In fact, Guardiola mentioned in an interview last month that Foden must remain at City for a long time (h/t Sky Sports).
But to truly help the attacking midfielder grow and develop further, Guardiola must trust him and give him more minutes under his belt. If Guardiola wants to create a legacy in the blue half of Manchester, he must start believing in youth players and hand them chances in the Premier League.
