Phil Foden has one goal and zero assists from his last nine Premier League appearances, but he bagged six goals and three assists from his first nine league outings this season and staked a claim as Manchester City’s best playmaker.
The 22-year-old is a shadow of himself, hence why he’s lost his starting place under Pep Guardiola, but Jack Gaughan and Tom Collomosse of Mail Online say the City manager still plans to turn him into Kevin De Bruyne, writing: “Foden’s natural progression would be to move inside behind Haaland, a spot that he has appeared destined to eventually assume.”
Despite his dip in form and alleged issues with effort levels in training, Foden is second in the City squad for league goals (7) and joint-fourth for assists (3). He’s most operated on the flanks but has been given the odd appearance in a central midfield role.
Ilkay Gundogan (1.1 tackles per game) and De Bruyne (1) turn over the ball more than Foden (0.7) while 15 players boast a better pass completion (85.2%), but Guardiola has said in the past that he believes the England international will make the positional switch when he matures.
Foden doesn’t play like a midfielder fit for a deep-lying role, but he should thrive in a free role behind Haaland as he’s 3rd for goal contributions (10), 5th for chances created per game (1.2) and 2nd for accurate crosses (1.2).
In other news, stats show Antonee Robinson could be great signing for Man City
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