Sources close to Pep Guardiola have now shared what Phil Foden struggles with at Manchester City.
It was The Athletic who released this interesting information.
So, what was said about Phil Foden? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, The Athletic have published an article explaining why the England international is not yet ready to operate in central midfield.
It comes amid yet another international break where the nation are calling on Gareth Southgate to play Foden ahead of more natural options for that role, such as Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson.
When explaining why the Manchester City No.47 is not ready to play as a holding midfielder yet – despite his vast talent – The Athletic referred to a source close to Guardiola.
They wrote: “Sources close to the City manager say that Foden switches off when pressing and often struggles to track his runners.”
Now, those are key things for any central midfielder to possess, so it makes sense that neither Guardiola or Southgate have trusted Foden to act as a holding midfielder.
Manchester City may worry about when Phil Foden will pick this up
The 23-year-old has been working with Guardiola since he was 17, making 230 appearances under the Spaniard in total.
In that space of time, Foden has clearly developed significantly as a footballer, although some at Manchester City may worry about when he will actually pick up traits such as concentration in regards to pressing and tracking if he hasn’t already.
Of course, the Stockport-born maestro is only 23, and it often takes a while for certain things to click in football. He still has so much else going for him, of course.
However, it seems like it will have to come from within for Foden, as Guardiola surely would have tried to coach the skill of tracking runners and staying switched on across the last six years.
