Micah Richards has claimed that Phil Foden is naturally talented to a degree that most players cannot even reach his level with hard work.
In December, Steve Bruce hailed the Englishman as an “outstanding talent” and emphasised that unless a young player is as “exceptionally good” as he is, they would be unable to become a staple member of Manchester City’s senior team.
Earlier this month, Tim Sherwood also described the 23-year-old as “an absolute genius of a footballer.”
Micah Richards says Phil Foden has a “God-given talent”
Ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in 2021, Pep Guardiola also told BT Sport (now known as TNT Sports) that Phil Foden was the most talented 17-year-old player he has ever coached.
Even Rio Ferdinand recently claimed that Gareth Southgate is fortunate to have a player like the treble-winner at his disposal.
Micah Richards has emphasised just how talented Phil Foden is while speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“Yeah, I would agree with that [players can improve their technique with hard work]. It’s hard, isn’t it because sometimes, you see players who are really good early doors and afterwards, they’re not that. And then some players, who are not so good early good and by 16, 17, they’ve turned into really good players”, he said.
“But to have something like [Phil] Foden, I think that’s God-given talent. I really do.”
The talent Phil Foden has is simply not coachable
In our view, it is hard to disagree with Micah Richards about Phil Foden, as he has always been a one-of-a-kind talent.
Of course, with hard work and extreme focus on the most minute details, players less talented than Foden could potentially surpass him.
Much like how Cristiano Ronaldo managed to become one of the greatest players of all time after joining Manchester United as quite a raw prospect.
However, it is quite rare for that to be the case, especially considering how talented Phil Foden is, coupled with the fact that he seems dedicated to continue improving under Pep Guardiola’s guidance.
A young player can simply not expect to be as talented as Foden or to be coached to a degree where he reaches such a level as the gift the decorated midfielder possesses is truly quite special.
