Phil Foden is perhaps Manchester City’s most exciting youngster, so why would they loan him to Premier League rivals West Ham United?
It is not known just yet how Pep Guardiola feels about the prospect of West Ham United trying to sign Phil Foden on loan, but Manchester City fans have made their opinions pretty clear.
And maybe this makes some sense. Foden is one of the brightest young talents in English football and would surely find first-team opportunities easier to come by at West Ham than in a star-studded City side already boasting the likes of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.
But City fans obviously believe Foden to West Ham is simply a bad fit.
Guardiola no doubt sees a star in this flitting 17-year-old after marvelling at his potential in pre-season. But the Catalan coach has been reluctant to throw Foden into the thick of the action, preferring to carefully nudge him towards senior football rather than throw him in at the deep end to see if he will sink or swim.
Foden played just 45 minutes of Premier League football last season, becoming the youngest player to earn a winner’s medal in the competition’s history.
Surely he is better off honing his trade under Guardiola and learning from Silva and De Bruyne. After all, City appear to be taking a meticulous approach to Foden’s development and all their good work should not be risked with a potentially ill-fitting loan move.
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