Foden’s best attribute is his passion, says Arteta

MIKEL Arteta believes Phil Foden’s passion for football is the City youngster’s strongest attribute.

Foden is highly regarded by City’s coaches and in an upcoming book Pep Guardiola says the 19-year-old will be David Silva’s successor when the midfielder leaves the Etihad at the end of the season.

“For me, his best attribute is his passion for the game,” Arteta said. “How much he wants to learn and what he’s able to do to improve.

“Of course, he’s got the skills and physical ability and he’s got a very good coach and very good team-mates who are going to help him.

“His mentality and passion to succeed is what is going to make him one of the best.”

Arteta believes Foden is in the right place to continue his development - despite calls from some people outside the club for him to leave on loan.

Foden is yet to start in the Premier League this season but Arteta does not believe that is a big issue.

“His potential is limitless,” Arteta said. “He is going to set his own limits.

“The most important thing is that, as a club and around the team, we have created a really healthy, inspiring and challenging environment. That’s exactly what he needs.

“The door is open. We have a manager who trusts in young players and he’s going to get opportunities.

“With that type of environment, to grow and to always be going in the right direction is the most important thing.

“I think he’ll be very successful.” PEP Guardiola exonerated Nicolas Otamendi of blame for the defeat by Wolves, focusing more on the way City gave up possession too easily for the two counter-attack goals.

But the wild lunge at wily Raul Jimenez by the Blues’ Argentinian stopper was there for everyone to see. It was the kind of poor defending which Otamendi seemed to have ironed out of his game two years ago.

Add in his switch-off against Norwich which handed Teemu Pukki a decisive goal, and it is little wonder that the clamour to drop Otamendi has reached a crescendo during the international break.

In fact, a poll of City fans right now would almost certainly call for the returning John Stones and Fernandinho to be picked as the Blues’ centre-back pairing.

That in itself is damning of Otamendi’s form so far this season.

Stones has barely played after twice suffering thigh problems – and he has yet to establish himself as an undoubted first choice for City, in any case.

Fernandinho is not even a centreback by trade, but he has been the better of the two in the games he and ‘The General’ have played together.

Otamendi went away on international duty and played in a 2-2 friendly draw with Germany – and Pep Guardiola will be hoping that has helped to clear his head. This is a player who in 2017-18 was described by one top City official as the ‘best centre back in the Premier League.’

His form, at that time, vindicated that description, and he was one of the first names on Guardiola’s teamsheet.

He seemed to have worked hard on his flaws – he erased the tendency to lunge in to challenges, and also learned to compensate for the lack of pace which was being repeatedly exposed.

He did so to the extent that Guardiola declared he had been City’s ‘Superman.’

In his first title season with the Blues, Guardiola said: “Without Nico, it would not be possible, what we have done. Everyone speaks about a bit of players such as Stuart Brennan Raheem, like David, like Kevin, like Sergio, and they deserve it, but if I would like to point to a player who deserves full respect, for what they have done until now, it’s Nico. Nico has been amazing.

“He is a guy who even with pain in the ankle, in the knee, in the back, he always fights. He’s one the hugest competitors I’ve ever seen in my life.

“He was so important. I cannot imagine the situation we are in at the moment in terms of the table and how we play without him. It would have been impossible.”

The arrival of Aymeric Laporte, the resurgence of Vincent Kompany and Guardiola’s desire for a LaporteStones pairing for the future, saw Otamendi pushed to one side last season – although he still made 27 appearances.

He was ready to leave, but Kompany’s departure and the failure to sign Harry Maguire saw him change his mind.

Whether that has brought his poor form this season is unclear.

But City need the 2017-18 Otamendi back, and fast.