Manchester City went down 2-0 to their local rivals in Houston on Thursday night, but despite the result there were a number of positives for Pep Guardiola to take away from the outing.
It was City's first pre-season fixture, whereas United already had two under their belt, and he got a chance to use most of the players taken out on tour to America, but one young man stood out above the rest.
Comfortably his side's best performer on the night 17-year-old Phil Foden showed some of his immense potential with an assured and composed performance in midfield. The way he commanded the ball and continually looked to create made him look like one of the seasoned pros in the City team, and his manager took note.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola made it very clear to the media that they had witnessed something special in Foden's first game for the City first team [via The Telegraph]:
I don’t have words - I would like to have the right words to describe what I saw.
You are the lucky guys who saw the first game, for the first team for Manchester City, of this guy.
It’s a long time since I saw something like this. His performance was another level. He’s 17 years old, he’s a City player, he grew up in the academy, he loves the club, he’s a City fan and for us he’s a gift.
Seriously high praise coming from someone like Pep.
The Stockport lad joined City at 9 years old and worked his way up the ranks, turning a few heads along the way.
Great experience ❤️ pic.twitter.com/erryHu51eC
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) July 21, 2017
He's still quite slight (obviously) for a midfielder, but if his performance in Houston was anything to go by then Man City have a real gem on their hands in Foden. He was a key player for the England U17 side that eliminated Ireland from the European Championships back in May, and will be seen playing at a higher age group in the near future.
One to keep an eye out for in the coming years, for sure.
