Pep Guardiola opens up on private Phil Foden chat that sparked brilliant Man City form

Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden's aggression and opened up on a private chat he had with the youngster after he helped Manchester City beat Newcastle in the Premier League.

City welcomed an out-of-sorts Newcastle side still reeling from their Carabao Cup defeat last week, but were still the Premier League's best defence and had caused City plenty of problems in the reverse fixture at the start of the season.

However, City put in a professional performance and scored at the right times through Foden and Bernardo Silva to record an important victory and keep Arsenal on their toes in the title race. Foden's goal made it four goals in his last three appearances, and the winger is close to being back to his best for City.

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After starring at Bristol City in the week, Foden admitted his spell on the sidelines and out of the team recently was the hardest part of his career to date, but Guardiola said he told Foden to keep his head up and learn to expect such difficult spells.

"Phil has the special ability to have the ball, where is the goal, and go there to attack with the ball, without the ball," Guardiola said.

"But when I spoke with Phil during the year when the moments he had the ball he passed back, you feel you don't have the confidence to do it and it is normal. [I said] 'What happens to you Phil it's absolutely what should happen.' He arrives 17 years old training with us, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes here, the national team, World Cup, European Cup, winning titles and every year he was a little bit better than the year before.

"Then arrives a moment you go down. Okay accept it, the struggle with his ankle, accept it. They are the most