Pep Guardiola wants Phil Foden to take his foot off the gas as Manchester City drive in search of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League crown.
Foden, the bookies favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year, added another two goals to his growing collection as City eased past Brighton 4-0 on Thursday night.
Guardiola has moulded the 23-year-old into a match-winning central midfielder ready to take over from Kevin De Bruyne and believes the academy graduate is learning the changes in tempo required to master that position.
But, in what seems an ominous suggestion, the City boss said Foden can still improve his timing.
‘Phil has a sixth gear but he can’t play all the time in that sixth gear,’ Guardiola said. ‘Sometimes he has to play in second or third.
‘In time, he will learn that. Brighton was much better than the two or three games before and he doesn’t need to always be so quick. No.
‘In football sometimes you have to play slower so you can then be quicker to surprise the opponent and at Brighton it was really good. He chose the right moments to attack.
‘I would love him to go in sixth gear every single action but then you are less precise, you lose the ball all the time and that is not effective. You have to know the moments when you have to be more aggressive or calm.’
Foden has watched the likes of De Bruyne, childhood hero David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan perfect the art of that role in a Guardiola team and is using that experience to flourish.
With 23 goals and assists from 31 appearances in the Premier League, Foden is enjoying the best season of his career. It’s 24 goals and 10 assists from 48 matches in all competitions and he is a chief reason why City have remained in the title race.
‘He will understand the game through years and years and experiences,’ Guardiola added. ‘It’s going to take time but he loves to play and his work rate is unbelievable.
‘How he runs, presses. At times, we are really pleased and happy for him. We have to congratulate him and hopefully, in the last month ahead of us, he doesn’t stop.
‘But it’s a question of time. He can improve a lot and has improved a lot from the beginning of the season and from the previous seasons.’
