Manchester City youngster Liam Delap has said first-team star Phil Foden is a player many academy prospects look up to after his rise into the senior squad over the past few seasons.
In an interview with the National News, the teenage striker revealed that the England international has set the bar high for how City academy players must be performing when they are promoted from the academy.
Foden is the biggest name to emerge from City’s academy since its multi-million-pound renovation under the club’s current owners, with the 21-year-old a full international and a talent the Manchester Evening News labelled as ‘generational’.
And now, other players are starting to emerge from the academy. As well as Delap, the likes of Cole Palmer and James McAtee have played regularly for Pep Guardiola’s side, with the former bagging three goals in all competitions at first-team level.
Indeed, the emergence of the City academy has been a major boom to Manchester and the talent pool in the English city, and heavy amounts of investment in the youth programme over the years are now starting to bear fruit.
Whilst the likes of Palmer and McAtee are promising, Delap admits that Foden is the one player those in the academy are striving to reach, with the striker saying: “Phil Foden has really set the bar high for current academy players graduating.”
Foden success should be huge motivation for City academy players
The success of Foden at City was both a surprise and a revelation. After all, with a club as rich as the blue side of Manchester, it seemed only natural that academy players would be tossed aside for more readymade options from abroad. Yet the England youngster buckled this.
As we know, Foden is now one of City’s best players and is leading the academy charge for future generations. And for the likes of Delap, the winger’s success should be a huge source of motivation of breaking into the first-team one day.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
