Manchester City defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening, but the reigning champions of all three domestic competitions suffered a huge blow ahead of the Manchester Derby at the weekend. Kevin De Bruyne was revealed to have a shoulder injury which could cause him to miss the clash, and if the Belgian playmaker isn’t fit to start, Pep Guardiola should select Phil Foden in his place.
The 19-year-old captivated the Wembley Stadium crowd on Sunday afternoon, but he has rarely started consecutive weekends and if Guardiola is to prove Foden is ready to “fill David Silva’s shoes” he must come in for De Bruyne.
In the Premier League and Champions League this season the English midfielder has made just four starts, meanwhile Silva has started 17 games across both competitions, as per WhoScored. The jump between the two players starts is a vast transition for the youngster to make and Guardiola can help him by making the bridge the gap by including him from the off more often this term. When he has featured Foden has been mightily impressive, he is adding goals to his game, having found the back of the net four times this term, along with making three assists, as per WhoScored.
The Carabao Cup final was no different, the teenagers’ display was universally lauded, and he left London not only as a champion but with the man of the match award as well. His reward for that outstanding performance should be to feature in another titanic clash, the Manchester derby, having already proven he has the appetite for the big occasion. Prior to the weekend, the midfielder had previously scored against Arsenal in the Premier League, along with scoring and assisting four in four Champions League matches, as per WhoScored.
Furthermore, Manchester City fans will relish the opportunity to have one of their own on the pitch, as Foden is the only Englishman from the Citizens’ academy who has currently broken through to the first-team squad. Meanwhile, Manchester United have gone over 80 years since they last named a squad without an academy graduate.
Not only would Guardiola be helping prove his point that Foden is ready to replace Silva by trusting him with a start, but the decision would also likely go down favourably with fans after his Carabao Cup final display.
