Pep Guardiola has backed Phil Foden to compete for a place in the starting lineup following Manchester City’s 4-1 FA Cup victory over Newport County.
Foden once again strengthened his position with an emphatic display what could have been a difficult fixture for the Sky Blues. Newport was looking pretty adamant with their determined approach as City failed to score in the first half.
But a brilliant second half inspired by a Foden brace saw City overcome the challenge of the League Two side. Foden has been knocking on the door of the Manchester City senior side for quite a while but hasn’t been able to present his case properly.
But after this performance, it would be difficult for Guardiola to ignore him. The Manchester City manager said, “Phil’s only problem is that he has to compete with Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Bernardo Silva.
“He’s a player who is ready to play. Today was a good test for him, and this will be good for him. He learnt a lot and he helped us to win the game with two incredible goals
“He has the mentality and ability to score goals when he is near the box. He was brilliant.”
