Pep Guardiola crowns ‘unbelievable’ Phil Foden the BEST player in the Premier League after his two goals against Manchester United
Phil Foden is currently the best player in the Premier League and he only further underlined that title with his brace in the Manchester derby, according to Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester City boss was impressed with his playmaker’s performance as he played a key role in dismantling United who took a surprise early lead at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden now has 18 goals and 10 assists for the season and he received a standing ovation when he was taken off the pitch.
When Guardiola was asked afterwards where Foden ranks in the Premier League, he had no doubts about where he would place him.
‘He can play in the middle and on the right, create moments and cut inside, play on the left and score from the left. What can I say? He is the best player in the Premier League at the moment because of the amount of things he does. Unbelievable,” Guardiola told the BBC.
‘It’s about the number of games he plays. He was always a talented player, but now he is more mature and understands the game better, especially defensively.
‘If he scores two goals, that gives me more pleasure than anything else. We don’t negotiate about that, the man who doesn’t do that doesn’t stay in the team.
‘He loves football, he lives for football. He is a delight and his work ethic is incredible.”
Foden grabbed all the headlines with his match-winning performance against United, with two goals bringing the Premier League champions from behind after Rashford’s early strike.
Asked about Foden’s impact this season, Man City captain Kyle Walker echoed his manager’s thoughts.
“This season he has been nothing short of first-class,” Walker told Sky Sports.
“That’s the standard he sets for himself and we set for him. It is the standard he must now maintain.
“If he comes in with his left foot, we call him the marksman because he likes to shoot. When he comes in on the left foot you know he has the composure and composure to pick his spot.
‘We lean on him. We need important players like him because they help you win games.
“He puts the work in, he always does extra takes. His goals are coming in, he’s reaping the rewards and he has to keep those standards high.”