The Academy graduate was entrusted in midfield on Saturday evening in our first Premier League home game of the 2023/24 season against Newcastle.
And, despite being just 23 years old, Foden flaunted his understanding of the game and attacking prowess as he assisted Julian Alvarez in our 1-0 win over Eddie Howe’s side.
“I’m very happy with my performance and that’s the level for me – I want to keep going and put the best performance in I can.
“My progression will hopefully become natural in that position – I enjoy it in there and I also enjoy it on the wing the manager decides to play me I’m more than happy to do a job for the team.”
Foden’s transition into midfield from the wing follows the absence of Kevin De Bruyne who has been ruled out for a lengthy spell following an injury he sustained in City’s Premier League win over Burnley in the opening weekend of the season.
And Foden’s sublime performance alongside Mateo Kovacic and Rodrigo earned him the man of the match accolade against a tough opponent who tested City throughout the game.
The England international explained that while no one can replace the City captain on the pitch, he will work hard to help City in looking to retain the Premier League title for a four consecutive year.
“I was enjoying myself out there and I had to step up,” said Foden.
“You can’t really replace a player like Kevin [De Bruyne] – a player of his quality, there’s nobody in the world that makes assists like him.
“But we know we’ve still got quality players who can play inside. When big players like that are missing, the level is still the same because we’re all quality players and one of the best teams in the world – I think we showed that today.”
https://publisher.mancity.com/umbraco#/content/content/edit/306461?mculture=en
