We all know what a talented player Phil Foden is but his most impressive attribute is his determination to be the best every day.
This is according to Joleon Lescott, who says the Manchester City star’s desperation to succeed reminds him of Wayne Rooney.
AFP
Former City defender Lescott worked with Foden when doing some coaching work with the England Under-21s in 2019 and is in no doubt that he will have no regrets when he looks back on his career.
“I saw for a while due to the system that he’s someone you’re made aware of, you know his talent,” Lescott told talkSPORT.com.
“His ability is easy to see but having worked with him I realised how determined he is to be the best every day.
“That’s not something that’s given to every player. Lots of players have a lot of talent or have good physical attributes.
“I’d say only Wayne Rooney was wired the same way.
“That’s why he will be the best he can be. He will have no regrets.”
Getty Images - Getty
Foden can make history on Saturday night as City look to become kings of Europe for the first time when they take on Chelsea in the Champions League final, LIVE on talkSPORT.
The 21-year-old certainly has the backing of his manager Pep Guardiola, who once labelled him the most talented young player he had ever coached.
Guardiola’s former assistant Domenec Torrent, his right-hand man for ten years, at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City, has revealed how Foden made an instant impression on the City boss.
“He was 16,” recalled Torrent, in an interview with the Daily Mail. “Seven or eight of the academy players came to train with the first team, all very good players, but I remember that Pep said to me the second day: ‘that skinny little kid, he’s the best of them. He’ll make it for sure’.
“He’s very gifted. Pep showed him things and in two seconds, he knew what he had to do. He knew when he had to break lines with passes, knew when he had to wait, he knew how to move. He understood it all very quickly.
“And players like Foden have added value because they are local lads have a real feel for the club. The best Barcelona team in history was full of players from its youth system.
“They have a special DNA. And this happens with Foden. They can play well or badly but it doesn’t weigh on them, they are no nerves because this is where they wanted to be all their life, it’s the team they wanted to play for.
getty
“Phil Foden doesn’t get nervous. Sergio Busquets doesn’t get nervous. Xavi doesn’t get nervous. Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta don’t.
“You can sign a player who has been at big clubs for years and he comes to the Camp Nou and it eats him up. Pique came at 19, and it felt natural to him: this is my team, my pitch, my terrain. A player like that has no nerves.”
Guardiola has also waxed lyrical about Foden as he’s tipped to play a key role for City in arguably the biggest game in their history.
While he maintains Lionel Messi is the number one player he has managed, Guardiola says Foden is the most talented teenager he’s seen and explained what makes him special.
“Well, the best is Messi, first,” Guardiola told Rio Ferdinand in an interview for BT Sport.
“Second, I didn’t meet Leo Messi at 17-years-old like I met Phil (Foden), and that age, I’ve never seen a player with this potential.”
“He’s comfortable. He loves to play,” Guardiola added. “When this happens, you have to protect him. He’s a guy who makes mistakes but he’s forgotten (them). The most important part for a football player is the head.
“He’s forgotten in one instance, one second. He thinks about the next one. The game against Borussia Dortmund at home, he missed three chances. Do you know who scored? It was him. I had the feeling, he’s 20 years old.
“Now Phil is demanding things from the manager. Before, he’d play 25 minutes, and he’d be happy. Half time, happy. Play in the Carabao Cup, he’s happy.
“Now, next season, if I don’t play him in the Champions League you’ll see what happens. He proved he can do it.”
BT Sport will show Manchester City vs Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final live from 6:00pm on Saturday 29th May. Whoever you watch the final with, watch it together with BT. For more info go to btsport.com/final
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3fttDYq
via IFTTT
No Comment