Joel: World Cup triumph is just the start for us
CITY’S young World Cup winners have placed their faith in Pep Guardiola’s judgment as they seek to build on their success.
Joel Latibeaudiere captained the young Lions to their stunning under-17 triumph in India, while Phil Foden won the player of the tournament award and Curtis Anderson was a secure goalkeeper.
And Latibeaudiere has hinted their job now is to forget the glory of Kolkata and knuckle back down to the task of developing their burgeoning careers.
“At City senior level the standard is so high,” said centreback Latibeaudiere, who also earned rave reviews during the tournament.
“The manager knows when the right time is to put his youth players in. Phil’s time will come, Pep’s a great judge of knowing when it’s right to do so.”
The 17-year-old stressed now was the time for realism, despite the recent euphoria.
“Nothing changes even though we have won the World Cup,“he said.
“We have to keep working hard, improving and getting better.
“It’s really important that this is just the start of things.
“But if you look at the Premier League, there are so many young English players getting their chance now. We are seeing the future of England being produced. It’s encouraging.
“Nobody wants to be forgotten, but it’s so exciting to be a part of a team that can hopefully go on together and a few years down the line hopefully this group can achieve something.”