Man City have given Phil Foden the two players he needs

Even if you could ignore the hype around Erling Haaland coming to English football, it is impossible to miss the 6ft 5in frame of one of the best No.9s in world football coming to improve the Premier League champions. After winning two league titles without a recognised striker, the signs look ominous for Manchester City's rivals now that Pep Guardiola can call on Haaland to add to his side's firepower.

But while the 21-year-old phenomenon will be expected to challenge for the Golden Boot, as he explained recently, if defenders want to double up on him that will leave one of his teammates free. It is easy to forget that his only previous appearance at the Etihad ended with the giant stooping to offer his congratulations to Phil Foden, the match winner in their Champions League quarter-final.

At 22, Foden is anything but an unknown quantity in the league: he has been named Young Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons. And yet it still feels like City and England are waiting for a player with so much potential to really take off and show he can take on the mantle of being the most important part of a star-studded side.

Part of his issue last year was the absence of Haaland, or any other No.9. With Gabriel Jesus not consistent enough to regularly lead the line, Foden's immense versatility pushed him into the selfless role up front, drawing away defenders and creating space for teammates to thrive.

While he did a good job, it did not play to his strengths of having the ball at his feet facing the opposition goal with space and time to create something special. With Haaland and fellow new striker Julian Alvarez now in position at the Etihad for Guardiola to play through the middle, there should be more opportunities