Unseen footage of Phil Foden at the age of nine shows that he was always a special talent.
The Manchester City star scored twice for the Blues as they came from behind to beat rivals United 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Foden cut in off the right and lashed in a stunning strike with his left foot for the equaliser, before combining with Julian Alvarez down the opposite flank to score his 18th goal of the season.
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The 23-year-old has arguably been City's best player this season and is in conversation for the league's top performer.
Yet 'The Sniper' has always had the ability in his locker, as an old clip from when he was kid highlights.
Before he signed with boyhood club City, Stockport native Foden used to play for Reddish Vulcans and was spotted by a man named Joe Makin, who took him to the junior team.
His talent was clear to see and there is one goal on YouTube where a tiny Foden skips past challenges galore before flicking the ball into the net.
The incredible dribbling sequence has regularly conjured up by Foden, who
Makin believes was always destined to go to the very top.
On the club's website, he wrote an article on the club's in which said the words, "Remember the name of Phil Foden — a left foot to die for".
That left foot did the business in the 192nd Manchester derby and for Makin, that sensational first goal was an action he had seen many years ago.
“That was a Reddish Vulcans goal,” Makin said in an interview with The Athletic.
“Get the ball, move it to the side with the outside of your foot and you get that extra space. You don’t have to go past a player, you just go level, then you can get your shot away. You ping it outside the far post to bend in and finish inside it. "We work on that with the Vulcans. We put out cones for them to dribble around and always teach the kids to go with the outside of their boots first.”
Foden already has five Premier League titles under his belt and has two PFA Young Player of the Year awards in the bank.
But this year feels different as now Foden has grown into City's talisman and produced in clutch moments.
Pep Guardiola called him "the best player in the Premier League right now" and it's hard to disagree with the Catalan's statement.
Topics: Phil Foden, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola
Josh Lawless