Phil Foden admits he ‘sees himself playing in the middle’ long-term after hat-trick for Man City in their 3-1 win at Brentford… and says he’s ‘delighted’ with his current form

Phil Foden has expressed his desire to play centrally more often in the future.

Foden played for Manchester City in their 3-1 win over Brentford on Monday night, scoring a fine hat-trick as his side lifted Arsenal into second place in the Premier League and closed the gap on Liverpool to two points.

The 23-year-old has shone this season as his side look to defend the historic Treble they won last season. He played centrally more often in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, who has missed most of the season due to an injury.

However, with the Belgian back, Foden has found himself playing wide again, despite being City’s star man again on Monday.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the midfielder expressed his desire to play through the middle more often, admitting that this is the position he believes he plays his best football in, despite the limited options in the role.

The Manchester City man scored a hat-trick in his side’s 3-0 win over Brentford despite playing wide

Foden played at center for most of the season in the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne (left).

‘I am very happy with my performance at the moment. “I’m playing a lot of minutes now and more where I want to be,” he said, asking if he would like to play at center for both club and country. ‘This is the best form I have been in a City shirt for a long time and may it stay that way for so long.

‘It would help if I played in one position and learned that every game, but I am someone who adapts and plays a lot when necessary. I know I’ll do that at Manchester City, but I enjoy playing somewhere in the middle, that’s where I see myself and hopefully I can keep playing there.

“The only thing I have set myself is to try to improve on last year’s statistics. Being an attacking player at Man City, that is your goal. I think I do, but I need to show this level of performance more often.”

Foden admitted ‘it would help’ if he could play in one position regularly, although he said he can adapt to different roles

Foden has also often found limited opportunities at international level, often finding himself on the bench for England despite playing for the best side in world football.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate said last year that Foden needs to play more often at center for his club to be picked for his country, but Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher claimed it is time for the City man to be in midfield for England played.

“It’s really interesting what he said about playing centrally,” Carragher began. ‘In terms of natural talents, there is no one who can go against him (for England), maybe Jude Bellingham. Bellingham has made it his own, the team is built around him. I thought it would be Foden.

The 23-year-old has sometimes found playing time a struggle with England. Manager Gareth Southgate (centre left) rarely trusted him to play centrally.

Jamie Carragher called on Southgate to start Foden regularly in the Three Lions squad in the future

“The fact that he’s at City, where you’re moving to, probably hasn’t helped him. It is probably a mystery to the England manager, the fact that he has changed positions so often has probably bothered him. I think he can play wide and perform brilliantly, but I always thought if David Silva moved on that would be his position, but that never quite happened.

‘It feels like you are the center of attention, Pep puts a lot of emphasis on that. There’s no doubt that Jude Bellingham could play a little deeper. I think it would be a bold move and why not when you have players of that quality? If Spain had them, they would probably both play as eights.

‘How can they pick an English team without Foden in it? If you have such a talent, it is up to you to bring it into the team.’