Danny Murphy has claimed that Phil Foden has made it impossible for Pep Guardiola to bench him this season.
Just recently, the Catalan boss claimed that Foden had evolved into a “world-class” player.
Additionally, the fact that Pep Guardiola rested the Englishman in Manchester City’s latest 6-2 walloping of Luton Town in the FA Cup suggests his growing importance in the team.
After all, Phil Foden is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet for City in the upcoming Manchester Derby on Sunday.
Danny Murphy says Phil Foden has made it impossible for Pep Guardiola to bench him
As Stephen Kelly recently claimed, the 23-year-old has become a player that his boyhood club well and truly “depend on” this season.
John Stones also emphasised how the Stockport-born midfielder has become a matchwinner for the Sky Blues.
With Phil Foden rising to the challenge of becoming the spearhead of this Manchester City side, Danny Murphy feels his excellent form has virtually made it a non-option for Pep Guardiola to put him on the bench.
“If you look at [Phil] Foden now, he’s playing at a level that Pep [Guardiola] can’t leave him out. And many seasons gone by, although we’ve eulogised about Foden many times and rightly so, he rarely plays five, six games on the spin in previous seasons”, he said on talkSPORT.
“This season, it’s like the penny’s dropped and he’s gone, I’m going to play that well, he’s going to find a place for me somewhere and someone else is sitting on the bench.”
Phil Foden has given a lesson to several up-and-coming players
Danny Murphy makes a fair point as Phil Foden has grown into a guaranteed starter for Pep Guardiola and Co. this season.
Considering Foden is still just 23 years old, a manager of Guardiola’s standing in the game relying on his brilliance, week in and week out is a testament to how tremendous he has been this campaign.
More importantly, up-and-coming prospects must be inspired by the treble-winner, who has let his feet do the talking and become a regular starter in one of the best teams in the history of English football.
At the end of the day, age and other factors outside of football will rarely ever supersede the value of consistent displays on the pitch and once a player manages to deliver week in and week out, they will likely get their desired minutes for any side in the business.
