Pep Guardiola predicted a drop in form for Phil Foden in an interview which has since gone viral.
Having been at City since he was a boy, Foden was eased into the first-team by Guardiola, who was immediately in awe of his talents when he spotted him in the academy.
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Despite calls from many for him to be loaned out, Foden eventually became a regular in the City side and was integral in their back-to-back Premier League wins in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.
He also picked up back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards and hit 30 goals in all competitions across the two competitions.
The England international has performed on the biggest stage for the Blues but more recently has come in for criticism for his displays.
Yet Guardiola, who once said Foden was “the most talented player I have ever seen”, is not surprised by what’s happened with the 22-year-old’s career and forecasted a drop for the Stockport-born midfielder.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand in an interview with BT Sport, Guardiola said: “He will grow up, the moment the distractions from the outside, being father for a second time and have to do something else.
“I’m pretty sure Phil will go like this [up] and will be a process where it will go like this [down]. For sure, in our careers there are always moments where it’s here.
“This is not a problem. It’s going to happen. When that happens here, it’s how you are, ‘OK come back in the principles’ and in that moment he will be a better player.”
In response, some fans hailed Guardiola as a “visionary”, with another saying he was “spot on” and a third claiming “the man knows absolutely everything”.
Foden started the 2-1 defeat to rivals Manchester United on Saturday and after hitting a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, was incredibly underwhelming at Old Trafford.
He touched the ball just times before being hooked for Jack Grealish, who put City ahead after coming on in the 57th minute.
Former Chelsea and Blackburn striker didn’t mince his words discussing Foden on BBC’s 606, saying: “I don’t know what’s happened to Phil Foden at this moment in time, he hasn’t played well since he’s come back after the World Cup.”
SOURCE: sportbible.com
