Phil Foden sets progression target in key position at Man City

Phil Foden hopes his progression in midfield continues in a 'natural' way after his excellent performance against Newcastle.

Manchester City continued their perfect start to the season as they averted a potential banana skin on Saturday night by defeating Newcastle United 1-0. Julian Alvarez scored the winning goal but it was a narrow scoreline that betrayed the level of the Blues' dominance.

Foden set up the Argentine's strike but he could have had four more assists to his name if Erling Haaland had his shooting boots on. Foden was the best player on the pitch as he was deployed in a central midfield role and repeatedly tore through the Magpies' defence and sent Haaland through on goal.

The local hero has waited patiently for his opportunity in midfield and took it with both hands on Saturday. Now he's hoping he continues to progress in the role.

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“From a young age I played in the 10 role a lot more and as I progressed into the first team, I played more out wide. Today, the manager trusted me in the pocket inside," Foden said.

"I was enjoying myself out there and I had to step up. You can’t really replace a player like Kevin [De Bruyne] – a player of his quality, there’s nobody in the world that makes assists like him.

"We know we’ve still got quality players who can play inside. When big players like that are missing, the level is still the same because we’re all quality players and one of the best teams in the world – I think we showed that today.

"I’m very happy with my performance and that’s the level for me – I want to keep going and put the best performance in I can. My progression will hopefully become natural in that