Pep Guardiola might finally fulfill Phil Foden promise at Man City

Manchester City fans would have been well within their rights to feel a twinge of fear deep in their stomachs when they saw Kevin De Bruyne struggle to continue during the Champions League final. "This can't be happening again, surely?"

Two years previously, De Bruyne was on the wrong end of a collision from Antonio Rudiger and the resulting concussion ended his night. By the time the brilliant Belgian headed down the tunnel in Porto, things had already gone badly awry for City. They had gone a goal down but more importantly, did not look at all likely to score themselves.

Pep Guardiola had miscalculated by not starting either Rodri or Fernandinho and it was the Spaniard, the match-winner in Istanbul, who remained on the bench when an attempt to change things was made far too late. City made a similar start to their second Champions League final against Inter, when nerves of the occasions clearly put them off their usual game.

When De Bruyne again suffered an injury on the biggest stage, a well-worn hamstring finally giving way, panic could well have set in. But this time losing their maestro did not have a negative impact.

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Hardly surprising given Inter's combativeness and his lack of fitness, De Bruyne was struggling to get in the match along with most of his teammates. There were uncharacteristic loose touches and sloppy passes all over the pitch, with De Bruyne one of the main culprits.

But in his place came Phil Foden who, alongside the magnificent John Stones, was one of the few not to let the magnitude of the game affect him at all. His energy and composure in the middle of the park helped City settle somewhat - even if they remained