Guardiola says Foden must not look to emulate De Bruyne

LONDON: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola played down expectations on young midfielder Phil Foden to fill the void let by injured playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, ater the 20-year-old inspired them to a 3-1 FA Cup victory over Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

City looked to be heading out of the competition ater Alfie May put fourth-tier Cheltenham ahead. But Foden equalised in the 81st minute before Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres struck to secure the team’s passage to the fith round.

Guardiola’s side were without De Bruyne, who picked up a hamstring issue in Wednesday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa. The Spanish manager said the impressive Foden has to focus on being the best version of himself.

“We have the players. Phil has to be Phil and not be Kevin De Bruyne because there is only one Kevin De Bruyne,” Guardiola, who expects to be without Belgian De Bruyne for up to six weeks, told reporters.

“He needs to keep doing what he has been doing in terms of when we are in a bad moment or when we are losing in terms of what he gave to the game. Phil is in a great moment and with great confidence. He’s clinical in front of goal.

“Phil can play in the middle, can play winger, can play in a false nine position up front. He’s playing really well, again in the right moment he scored a goal.”

City meet Swansea in the fith round of the competition next month. They face West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Tuesday and can go top of the standings with a win.

Guardiola has called for a reduction in the number of clubs in the Premier League and English Football League to improve the quality of competition amid talk of a breakaway European Super League.

The concept of a European Super League, as an alternative to European soccer governing body UEFA’S flagship Champions League, has been floated for years but speculation has increased in the past two years.

The Times newspaper said it had seen a proposal for the Super League that outlined plans for a competition with 15 founding members and five other clubs qualifying annually.

The plan envisages the 20 clubs being split into two groups of 10 and playing between 18 and 23 European matches a season. But Guardiola declined to be drawn into a discussion about it and said it was important to strengthen domestic leagues.