There can only be one generational talent. Some would strongly argue otherwise, but England’s is Phil Foden.

Nobody else owns his natural gifts, all bundled together to make — on the surface, at least — the perfect elite attacking midfielder. A game-changer, one who should run World Cup knockout matches in the future.

Peers always talk him up using words such as mad, crazy and joke. His Manchester City team-mates appreciate his ingenuity. Foden is the youngest player to score 50 goals under Pep Guardiola, top of a list that includes Lionel Messi. The Gen Z Gazza is rather good.

Yet 22-year-old Foden finds himself at a crossroads. Qatar was about fighting his way into Gareth Southgate‘s starting XI after beginning on the bench for the first two group games, then producing flashes of brilliance. He made England better but expectations are so high that, by the time he came off against France, it left you wanting more.

Since then, he has only been seen occasionally for City. Dropped to the bench for the thunderous home victory over Tottenham, Guardiola blamed a foot injury picked up in the defeat at Old Trafford the weekend before. By the time City lost at Spurs last Sunday, the fit-again Foden was sent home with a mystery illness. He cannot be particularly pleased with how this is all panning out.

Irrespective of those problems since the World Cup, there has been a curious longer-term drop off. Foden has started just five of 13 Premier League matches since his greatest afternoon as a professional, a hat-trick as City beat United 6-3 in early October.

Guardiola, typically, predicted this dip in the days before the 2021 Champions League final.

‘He will grow up,’ he said. ‘The moment the distractions from the outside — being a father for a second time — and he has to do something else and after, maybe… I’m pretty sure Phil will go like this (up) and will be a process where it will go like this (down).

‘At 22 years old, what do you expect? It’s going to happen. When it does it’s how you come back to the principles and in that moment he will be a better player.’

Now it is up to Foden whether he battles back, does enough to dislodge Jack Grealish or Riyad Mahrez either side of Erling Haaland.

His calling is in behind the striker — and you suspect England would prefer him to be operating there for his club — but Kevin De Bruyne stands in the way. Julian Alvarez has occupied that space too. Foden’s best display since United four months ago came in central midfield against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

‘He’s still a young lad but in the last years played important games with us,’ Guardiola said. ‘Hopefully he can stay many, many years with us and his private life be settled perfectly and just focuses on what he loves, which is playing football.’

The reference to Foden’s ‘private life’ was intriguing, with his progress more serene when under the guidance of advisors Richard Green and Owen Brown. Green passed away two years ago, leaving Foden devastated, and he has since switched representation.

Talks over a new contract dragged on for well over a year before an agreement on wages of around £200,000 a week in a deal until 2027 was struck. There has been a degree of chaos surrounding Foden.

What has occurred over the past few years has triggered murmurs around Manchester about his lifestyle choices. Guardiola dropped both Foden and Grealish after a night out following a 7-0 win against Leeds last season. The pair, sources said at the time, did not turn up for a recovery session in the correct condition. To the manager, that will be long forgotten.

There was the episode in Iceland, sent home by England after sneaking women into a hotel room with Mason Greenwood at the height of the pandemic.

Foden did not go on pre-season tour last summer after failing to meet America’s entry requirements. He, John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan were instead sent out to Novigrad, a little coastal town in Croatia, with Brian Barry-Murphy’s Under 23s.

City’s slickest performances have come when Grealish accompanies Foden and Haaland in a front three. That has occurred just four times this season — three away victories and the thrashing of United, yielding 15 goals in the process.

There are other factors involved in that combination not earning the nod more regularly, not least Mahrez’s determined reaction to Guardiola’s criticism of his standards earlier in the season. But Foden needs a response of his own and City, desperately trying to keep pace with Arsenal, could do with their star boy shining again.

SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk