Manchester City are determined to nurture more academy talents like Phil Foden, and the club has a clear strategy in place to make it happen.
Phil Foden’s rise from City’s academy to becoming one of the Premier League’s best players was foreseen early on. Even as a youngster, his dazzling ability to weave through defenses caught the eye of everyone around him. Though his potential was carefully guarded, City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain made sure that Pep Guardiola knew all about the Stockport-born star when he arrived at the club in 2016. At the time, Foden was just 16, and Guardiola promised that he wouldn’t have to wait long for his first-team debut.
Soon after, Foden made his breakthrough, and his accomplishments since have cemented him as one of the academy’s greatest success stories. His journey has become a beacon of inspiration for young players hoping to follow in his footsteps. However, Foden’s path to stardom wasn’t without its bumps—his first opportunity to impress Guardiola didn’t go quite as expected.
“I remember the first time Pep came to watch us, Foden started being so selfish!” shared former teammate Joel Latibeaudiere in City’s new documentary on Foden. “He wanted the ball all the time, trying to take on multiple players, shoot, and then go after the ball again to repeat it.”
Eager to stand out, Foden soon realized that Guardiola valued doing the simple things right over trying to impress with flashy moves. This emphasis on mastering the basics is now a key message to all City youngsters, especially those close to breaking into the first team but still playing mostly at the youth level. Players like Nico O’Reilly and Jacob Wright, who are training with the senior squad but playing academy matches, are encouraged to bring what they learn to those games without overcomplicating things.
Under-21s coach Ben Wilkinson highlighted this approach, saying, “The key thing for the boys training with the first team is not to try and do too much when they play in our games. If they did that with the manager, they wouldn’t stay on the pitch.
“It’s about doing the basics extremely well, having a great attitude off the ball, and making sure their quality with the ball shines through by keeping things simple. Thankfully, our playing style mirrors the first team’s, so we don’t ask them to do anything differently than what the manager expects.
“When they play for us, it’s all about having the right mindset and excelling at the basics,” Wilkinson added.
The formula that helped Foden thrive is now the blueprint for the next generation of City stars, as the club aims to produce more players capable of breaking into the first team.
