England midfielder Phil Foden feels lucky to be part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City plans – and admits only hard work will keep him there.
The highly rated England U21 midfielder has seen his role gradually increase over the past two years and the academy graduate is likely to get more opportunities in the coming season.
Foden, 19, is viewed as a long-term successor to David Silva and with the Spanish playmaker having announced the 2019-20 campaign will be his last at City, expectations on Foden will grow.
Best feeling being back on the pitch ? pic.twitter.com/w3NIq1N9O5
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) July 24, 2019
The Stockport native feels he is in a superb environment to learn after City’s treble success last term.
He said: ‘Anyone who plays will put a shift in and play well.
‘I am lucky to be part of it. It is a special team. The success comes from the depth of the squad.’
City have won five trophies over the past two seasons including back-to-back Premier League titles.
The club has no intention of stopping there with the ever-demanding Guardiola driving them on.
Foden said: ‘He works us very hard in training and you can tell by what we do on the pitch he wants the best from us. That will only help us play better.’
Foden made his first appearance of the pre-season when he came off the bench in Wednesday’s 6-1 friendly win over Kitchee in Hong Kong.
He was not involved at the Premier League Asia Trophy in China last week as he was given further time off following his international commitments at the European U21 Championship.
He said: ‘I have only been here two days. It is bound to be difficult [to acclimatize] but if I train hard my fitness will come back slowly.’