Pep Guardiola has told Enzo Maresca he shouldn’t sell Phil Foden for any price. Guardiola will bow out as Manchester City manager following Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa, before taking a break from football management.
Former Chelsea boss and ex-City assistant Enzo Maresca is expected to step into his shoes. Beyond claiming 20 trophies during a glittering 10-year reign, Guardiola’s enduring legacy will include nurturing a host of exceptional young players, with Foden chief amongst them.
He identified the homegrown playmaker as a future star long before he had cemented his place in the first team, viewing him as the natural successor to City legend David Silva. He went so far as to declare he wouldn’t part with the then-teenager for €500million (£430million).
In the book ‘Pep’s City: The Making of a Superteam’, Guardiola said: “We didn’t give Foden a new contract by accident. He is the only player that can’t be sold under any circumstances, the only one. Not even for 500m euros.
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“Phil’s going nowhere, Phil IS City. We won’t be signing anyone else for that position. When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.”
Guardiola warmed to Foden early in his tenure, predicting he would become “one of the Premier League’s best.” He said: “One thing is clear, Foden has a place in City’s first team.
“I’d be interested to see if a different manager would have given him his chance to develop or loaned him out. I don’t like leaving him out of certain games but must think of the whole squad. Phil understands that.”
The admiration is clearly mutual. Speaking following last weekend’s FA Cup final, Foden was quizzed about his manager’s future. He said: “To play with him now for so many years has been a blessing. He’s certainly helped my game.
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“I’m really happy that he’s still here at the moment and let’s see what happens at the end of the season. Hopefully, he can be here next season.”
Since then, it has been confirmed that Guardiola won’t be at the club next season. It has been a difficult week for Foden, who missed out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
Foden is a player Tuchel has consistently spoken highly of and was the sole England player to start both of March’s friendlies, featuring as a number 10 in one fixture and a false nine in the other. Yet the 25-year-old struggled to make his mark and ultimately missed the cut following a stop-start campaign.
View 2 ImagesGuardiola has always rated Phil Foden(Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)
Tuchel said: “Phil was excellent in camp for us. He was not only excellent in training, but also off training. He was open, he was in good spirits.
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“And it hurt me a lot, actually, to call him and to tell him this decision. I could see in his reaction how much it affects him, how much it would have meant for him to come.”
Foden will aim to shake off his dejection when Guardiola’s tenure draws to a close against Villa, before setting his sights on winning over Maresca, having already worked with the Italian.
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