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Who Is Manchester City's 17-Year Old Starlet Phil Foden?

Who Is Manchester City's 17-Year Old Starlet Phil Foden?

He's the talk of the town after his debut performance against Manchester United.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Manchester City's 17-year old starlet Phil Foden is one of the youngster that you would tip to make the grade at first-team, and he made a real impression.

The Stockport starlet, 17, was handed his first ever start for City in last night's game in Houston, Texas.

Even with it being a friendly, one would typically expect, and accept, a lad who only turned 17 in May to play within himself. After all, his first start for City came against arch-rivals Manchester United in front of 67,000 fans in attendance.

Credit: YouTube/noveball & MUTV

But that wasn't the case at all, as in the 74 minutes he played, Foden left fans, and Pep Guardiola purring with a wonderful display on his debut.

He has been training the first-team for a while now and has already been firmly on Guardiola's radar, having featured on the bench in a Champions League group match against Celtic earlier in the season.

Back in April, ahead of the FA Youth Cup final second leg, we managed to have a chat with Foden about his rise, and he explained that becoming a professional footballer was his ambition from an early age.

In an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, the talented 17-year old, who predominantly plays as a No.10 or on the flanks, says being a professional footballer has always been an ambition:

"Since very young my dad always used to train me and it just went from there. I always wanted to be a footballer and believed that one day I would be one of the best in the world."

Image: PA

Foden aims high with his targets and goals, and cites two of the most technically gifted players of our generation as his two biggest inspirations in football.

A silky left-footed player with lightning quick feet, supreme dribbling ability and vision for that killer pass, Foden studies both Lionel Messi and David Silva on a regular basis and looks to learn from the diminutive duo.

"Messi is my biggest inspiration, it doesn't get any better than him - I always watch him closely and try to learn from the best. I also enjoy watching David Silva."

A key player for City and England at youth level, Foden was rewarded for his fine form with a place on the substitutes bench in a Champions League game against Celtic in December at the Etihad.

Had he entered the fray at 16 years and 193 days old, he would have become the club's youngest ever Champions League debutant as well as the fourth youngest in all of Europe in Champions League history.

It wasn't to be, as Foden had to watch the entirety of the 1-1 draw from the bench, but it was an invaluable experience for the young prodigy.

"Being at City since I was five years old, it was a massive achievement for me to make the bench. I enjoyed every second of it and just wanted to make my debut and make my family proud.

"It was good to get to know how the first-team work but hopefully I will get another opportunity and get on so I can show Pep I'm capable of playing in the first-team.

"Mikel Arteta just told me to keep doing what I'm doing because Pep is always watching."

Contrary to popular opinion, Guardiola does indeed take an interest in the young players in the club's academy and Foden is a talent who he has been extremely impressed by, leading to his inclusion in the starting XI against Manchester United having travelled with the team for their pre-season tour of the United States.

His performance led to City's fans waxing lyrical, and there'll be hoping to see more of him this season.

As a boyhood blue, would love nothing more than to become a first-team regular at City at some point down the line if his rapid development continues. He even plans to remain at City for the full duration of his career.

"It would mean everything to me since I was young I've always dreamed of playing for City in my career. I wouldn't want to play anywhere else, I want to retire at City and be a first-team regular."

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@PhilFoden

Topics: Manchester City, Phil Foden