Man City academy are successfully moving on from Phil Foden blueprint

Manchester City coaches thought they had a uniquely special talent on their hands when Phil Foden joined the academy aged eight, and those hopes and expectations only got giddier with each passing year.

By the time Pep Guardiola arrived at the club, there were no doubts that Foden would be the one to break through and be the poster boy for the academy that City had been missing since the 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour. Here, finally, was the homegrown hero the Blues were desperate for.

Guardiola was taken aback by what he saw, and to the surprise of nobody has cultivated him into one of the most exciting talents in world football. If that allowed the academy to breathe a sigh of relief, however, there was also concern over what came next.

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As much as Foden is a product of the fine work done in the City academy over more than a decade, it has also been obvious for a while that the Stockport youngster is a freakishly good talent. Players good enough to contend for the Ballon d'Or come along once in a blue moon, so it is unsustainable to think that such success can be replicated time and time again.

City do not need to produce potential Ballon d'Or winners from the academy even if it is their dream, but they do still need to make players suitable enough for the plans of the first team manager to be able to compete with the world-class talent that sporting director Txiki Begiristain is scouring the world for. After this season, there is more evidence than ever that there are more blueprints for young talent to follow than the exceptional Foden.

Across the 2020/21 season, there were 168 appearances in matchday squads from ten City academy