U-17 World Cup winning starlet Foden ready to make a leap into City’s first team

PEP GUARDIOLA claims Phil Foden is ready to continue his meteoric rise by making his competitive Manchester City debut.

Starlet Foden is included in tonight’s Etihad squad to face Feyenoord – and Guardiola is considering starting the Under-17 World Cup winner.

The midfielder has been training with City’s seniors since impressing on their summer tour and Guardiola says he and Spanish teenager Brahim Diaz (together, right) are ready to step up.

The City boss said: “They are two young players and from what I have seen in pre-season, in training, in the youth World Cup, they are ready. Otherwise they would not be training here every day with us.

“In the high level, we try to help the young players, but they have to have quality to train with us – it’s not just to have fun.

“They are there because they have a chance to play with us. If they play or don’t play depends on my decision, but they have to be ready because sometimes the manager makes surprises.”

Making his senior debut would cap a remarkable few weeks for local lad Foden after he was named player of the tournament during England’s success in India last month.

City are keen to bring homegrown talent through to counter charges they only buy ready-made stars – and the 17- year- old from Stockport would be the first millennial to play for the first team, having been born in May 2000.

Guardiola has carefully overseen Foden’s development and says playing in the U-17 World Cup was a great learning experience for him. “We believe going to the World Cup was perfect for his next step,” said Guardiola, who wore a yellow ribbon at his press conference in support of Catalonia’s imprisoned former leaders.

“Of course, playing the quarter-final, the semi-final, the final, is better than training here or playing in the second team or playing 10, 15 or 20 minutes with us. It was so good for him.”

Foden may get his big break now because Guardiola is keen to rest many of his major stars with qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League already guaranteed and a busy festive period coming up.

Sergio Aguero could start in place of Gabriel Jesus with Guardiola claiming he cannot play both while Fabian Delph deputises for the injured Benjamin Mendy.

He explained: “When you have Mendy, he can play wide and the winger can go inside.

“Delph cannot do that. Without Mendy, Sane has to go wide, which is why they don’t play together.”