SOMETHING SPECIAL
Foden’s bulking up in the gym and pulling his weight on the pitch. He’s…
THERE is something a little mesmeric about Phil Foden. He has this unidentifiable quality of making you believe something special could be developing.
His jolting gait is so unorthodox. The way he passes a football bears resemblance to Bernhard Langer’s precise putting on the greens, all right angles and long handles.
Foden is that bit different, almost deliberately unpolished. It is to Manchester City’s credit that his idiosyncrasies were never coached out of him in the academy.
Watching the 18-year-old slug it out on the Rodney Parade cabbage patch — fiercely controlling midfield in the mud, scoring two thumping goals and carrying possession impressively — was to see him grow further.
Newport County battled in tight spaces and met their match, even if that happened to be a diminutive one. Bulking up in the gym is clearly paying off.
Forget the level of opposition, it was the manner of authority that really ought to put him in the frame for a place against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola has maintained that Foden is ‘ready to play’ and his displays generally back that up, so let us see.
Foden, who dished out instructions to Riyad Mahrez as they went in at half-time goalless, certainly believes he is doing enough to start being trusted more often by Guardiola.
‘I’ve been around the first team for over a year now,’ the new father said. ‘I’m ready to go and I’m trying to make my point.
‘I’ve learned everything I need to know regarding the basics with Pep. He’s quite strict with his gameplans. I know all that now.
‘It’s about stepping forward and trying to impress him. It’s always special to put this City shirt on.’
Nobody would blame Foden if he was beginning to get itchy feet.
The 845 minutes he has played so far this season looks impressive for a teenager — and it is.
But offset that by just 90 of those coming in the Premier League and different conclusions can be drawn. He did not even start the Carabao
Cup semi-final first leg against Burton Albion, Guardiola claiming others needed to play in a quest for form or fitness. He has not been in any of the last three league squads.
City, for their part, refused to even entertain the idea of allowing the England Under 21 international to leave on loan last month.
At least one top-flight club held interest but were afforded absolutely no encouragement.
That is all well and good but he needs games. Foden, last on the City coach leaving south Wales because of the volume of selfies and autographs, certainly knows it.
This is not about comparisons with Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, his mate who came through alongside him, but about the best path.
For now Foden is ‘proud’ of his FA Cup double but was left dwelling on mistakes, an attitude that should bode well.
‘There were a few,’ he said. ‘I let my man (Tyreeq Bakinson) go in the first half and he nearly scored at the back post. That was a massive one. I’ll definitely think about that. That’s the thing I need to learn, the defensive side of the game. I’m going to work on that.’