Pep Guardiola says Phil Foden can play in five positions, including at left-back

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that Phil Foden can play in five different positions, including at left-back. 

Foden and Erling Haaland stole the show during Sunday’s derby as they both scored a hat-trick in the 6-3 win over Manchester United. 

The 22-year-old has been predominantly deployed on the wing so far this season, however, after the match on Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne claimed that Foden will eventually end up in a central midfield role. 

He said: “I think eventually he will end up playing centrally in my opinion.

“But in this moment in time it is maybe a little bit better for him on the wing to have more freedom and fewer instructions so he flows into the game.

“I eventually see him playing more centrally when he gets older and gets more stamina. It’s all about little details to just find more consistency in the performances.” 

It looks like Guardiola also shares the same opinion as De Bruyne, the City boss spoke about Foden’s versatility during his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s Champions League match against FC Copenhagen. 

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Guardiola said: “Yeah, absolutely, I agree with Kevin, he hasn’t played that many times. 

“Phil can play in five positions. I would say he can even play as a left-back. He played a few minutes there at home and he played really well.” 

The Spaniard went on to explain that there are a few things that Foden has to work on before he can comfortably make the move into midfield. 

Guardiola added: “To play in the middle he might have to play a little more attention and in some aspects he still has to grow. He still has room for his natural, unbelievable instinct to play football. 

“When you play in the middle you have to pay attention to what’s around you and close to you. From the side it’s easier, in the middle you have many things happen there.

“I wouldn’t say with the ball, it’s without the ball. In this he needs to improve, Phil, but it’s normal at his age, and with his desire to learn he will do it, there’s no doubt.” 

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After their Champions League match on Wednesday night, City will return to Premier League action on Saturday when they take on Southampton at the Etihad stadium.