Danny Murphy has predicted that Manchester City star Phil Foden will score upwards of 20 goals this season, which would be a first for the player.
The 23-year-old made headlines on Monday night when he hit a hat-trick for City in the 3-1 win over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Foden shone against the Bees, operating mainly in a central role again alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez.
Foden’s three goals took him up to 14 for the season across all competitions, and he only needs one more now to equal his haul from last season.
In the eyes of Murphy though, Foden will reach the 20-goal mark by the end of the campaign…
Danny Murphy predicts Phil Foden will score at least 20 goals this season for Manchester City
Foden was a topic of conversation yesterday on talkSPORT, with pundit Danny Murphy praising the City star heavily.
There was some talk about Foden for England, and Murphy believes that he should be getting in the team regularly over James Maddison, feeling he’s a superior player due to his defensive discipline.
But Foden’s goalscoring ability is not lost on Murphy, who is predicting that the player will bag 20 goals at least by the end of the season.
He said: “This season already, we’re only in February, he’s got 14. I think his game has come on this season. I think he is taking more responsibility, I think he had to because De Bruyne has been out for so long. His assists are up.
“I think he’ll finish the season with 20 goals. 20 plus. What’s your job as a forward player? It’s to score and make goals, not look good and pretty and do flicks and tricks. As of right now, he has to start for England – and I would guess that would be off the left.”
Foden’s current best-scoring season came in 2020/21 when he netted 16 across all competitions.
Foden can easily score at least 20
Foden scoring 20 goals is a very distinct possibility at this point.
To have scored 14 by early February is really impressive, and the academy product is in the form of his life right now.
In recent times, Foden has been taking up more central positions, and getting right up there into the box, as Ilkay Gundogan used to do.
So he’s getting more goalscoring opportunities compared to when he operates out wide. He is brilliant in the middle and it does look as though Pep Guardiola will continue to deploy him there, or at the very least give him a free role.
You would not put it past Foden to finish the season with at least 20 goals to his name, given his talent and the world-class teammates that surround him.
