Man City star Phil Foden answered Pep Guardiola's biggest question vs Newcastle

Phil Foden alleviated any early concerns regarding his development with an electric performance in Saturday's 1-0 win over Newcastle.

Manchester City were good value for their three points at the Etihad and the gap could have been bigger, had Foden's quality been matched by his teammates. The 23-year-old created seven chances and was unfortunate to come away with just one assist, finding Erling Haaland on an uncharacteristically wasteful night.

A combination of injury and illness forced Pep Guardiola's hand, with Foden moving into the No.10 role that he wants. It's a role he played during his rise in the academy but senior football has seen most of his minutes come out wide.

Foden is a man whose career trajectory has risen at a thousand miles-per-hour so it is no surprise he plays at a similar speed. Upon breaking into the first-team picture, the boyhood Blue was a young prospect who fearlessly ran at full-backs with every opportunity.

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Part of Foden's early intrigue was his ability to run at 100% from the first whistle until the last, but Guardiola needed a more controlled approach from his central creator.

“He is a top, top player, but he is still playing football in one rhythm, Guardiola said of Foden back in 2021. "He has to combine different rhythms to be an exceptional player.

“He makes all the actions in one explosion. When you play in the middle you have to be calmer. But maybe it is because he is 20 years old.

“He has an incredible energy to do everything. This is normal. It doesn’t mean he is going to change now. That comes with time and seasons. The game by game. He will realise what he has to improve in that position. The rest of him is a top