Manchester City Boss Commends Striker Who 'Could' Replace Messi, Ronaldo

One of Pep Guardiola’s stars is having the time of his life at Manchester City.

Having established a regular spot in Guardiola’s front three, Phil Foden is looking to continue where he left off this season with the Citizens.

After recording an impressive tally of 16 goals for Manchester City last season, Foden began the 2021-22 campaign scorching, netting two goals in the club’s his first seven matches.

The left-footed striker’s lethal form did not go unnoticed. In fact, Manchester City boss Guardiola even reckoned that Foden isn’t only a prolific goalscorer but also a versatile player who can play all “five positions up front.”

“Phil [Foden] can play in five positions up front,” Guardiola told Manchester City’s official website ahead of Burnley clash. “He can play in both attacking midfield [positions] in the pockets and he can play in three positions up front.”

“There are players who play in one position and there are players who play football,” he continued. “Phil knows how to play football. If he played left back, he would play good. There are players who say I have play in this position, otherwise they don’t play football. Phil is an exceptional player. He can play everywhere, not yet, but he is so young, in time he will get it.”

As expected, Manchester City has no plans of letting Foden go and a massive contract extension is already on its way, according to Goal.

According to the report, the said fresh set of terms will make the 21-year-old “one of the best-paid young players” in the world.

As it stands, the report added that Foden and Manchester City have already agreed to a new six-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.

Moreover, the Citizens are expected to announce the completion of the deal in the “coming days.”

At a young age, Foden has already exceeded some veterans in the sport in terms of individual accolades.

At 21, he is a three-time English Premier League champion and a PFA Young Player of the Year.

It didn’t take long for former English national team striker Michael Owen to make a bold claim about Foden’s future, stressing that the forward could be the only “one” who could replace Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We’ve got so many good kids, but he [Foden] is the one,” Owen said in June. “I look at him and think he could be anything. World, world-class. We’re talking the [Lionel] Messi’s and [Cristiano] Ronaldo’s that are going to finish in the coming years and we’re all looking at the next generation of great players.”