'Teams want to beat us more' - Man City treble has made them a bigger scalp than ever

At this rate Phil Foden is going to need a bigger house. Beat Fluminese in Jeddah on Friday and the 23-year-old will win the 16th senior medal of his fledgling club career.

The jewel in the crown of Manchester City's academy is currently winning a medal, on average, every 15 or so games he plays for his club. It is a ludicrous level of achievement and one that Foden allows himself to reflect on every now and again.

All of those senior club medals have come under the guidance of Pep Guardiola and although the City boss talked of "closing the circle" at the start of this week in Jeddah, some of these players are just getting started.

ALSO READ: Walker hits back at critics and makes United admission

ALSO READ: City approach to Liverpool question shows new approach

That is certainly true of Foden, who won't turn 24 until the end of May and has many more years ahead of him, although plenty of those will have to be played without the steadying hand of Guardiola guiding him and his club along.

"There are times when I sit there and look back it and what I’ve won and achieved. I wouldn't have done it without the manager and the team that I'm playing with," said Foden, who wants to put the world title "on the table" for City, next to those domestic and European crowns already collected in 2023.

It would cap an astonishing year for the club, one never before repeated by an English side, although there is also a sense of frustration that they let the Community Shield get away, denying them the chance of six gongs in a year. Instead, they will have to settle for a famous five.

But while City focus on world matters in Saudi Arabia, their domestic rivals are starting to feel bullish about the prospect of prising the Premier