Opinion: Pep Guardiola right to be cautious with Phil Foden

When England manager Gareth Southgate named his first England squad following the successful World Cup campaign, he used his platform to bemoan the lack of English players currently getting regular football in the top flight of English football.

With the Premier League now unquestionably the most popular league in the world, the influx of some of the best foreign players to our green and pleasant land continues unabashed.

The argument goes that this is great for the Premier League product, but detrimental to the English national team.

The one notable flaw in Southgate’s team is the lack of a creative central midfielder, which is why attention has inevitably turned towards arguably the most promising English prospect since Wayne Rooney - Manchester City’s Phil Foden.

Gareth Southgate

Foden was a player cited by Southgate as someone who might not get the minutes he needs this season to develop and challenge for a place in his squad, and as an independent observer I do find it frustrating that a player so ludicrously talented is struggling to make the breakthrough into first team football.

And then I compared it to the case of Jack Wilshere who is once again facing a significant period on the sidelines following another operation on his troublesome ankle.

Take the clock back ten years, and Jack Wilshere was Phil Foden. The bright hope of English football. After a handful of appearances for Arsenal and a brief, but impressive loan spell at Bolton Wanderers, Wilshere suddenly found himself a key part of the Arsenal side in the 2010-11 season when he was just 18 years old.

What an impact he made that year – Wilshere made 49 appearances for Wenger’s side, impressing so much that he made his England debut, won the PFA Young Player of the Year, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Former Arsenal prodigy, Jack Wilshere

Unfortunately for Wilshere, that was as good as things would get. He didn’t make a single appearance the following season as injuries began to take their toll, and while he has played more football in recent seasons, his international career has stalled, and he appears destined to be another case of what might have been.

This is why I believe that Pep Guardiola is handling Phil Foden expertly.

It’s easy to forget given the significant hype around him that Foden is still only 18 years of age. He has a Premier League title, League Cup and Community Shield to his name, and is a World Cup winner with England at age group level.

But he should be used cautiously. The danger of burnout for young players who play too much too soon is clear in the example of Wilshere, Michael Owen and to a certain extent Wayne Rooney.

Phil Foden - his time will come

We can’t afford for Foden to burn out. He has the ability and football intelligence to play at the top level for 15 years if he is allowed to develop in his own time. He might not be getting the big game experience he needs right now, but he is working under the most progressive manager in world football, as well as training and playing alongside some of the best footballers in the world.

Foden will become a regular in the Manchester City team – of that I think there is little doubt. But he will only do so when he is ready, when Guardiola deems him to be the best option in a midfield oozing with talent.

That day isn’t far away, and what a frightening prospect Foden will be when that day arrives.