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After showing potential in pre-season, Foden and Diaz represent chance of homegrown success for Guardiola

Kristan Heneage

The meeting of Manchester City and Manchester United in Houston this summer was a landmark occasion in what was the first Manchester derby to be staged outside of the UK.

For Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz, two of the younger members of the Man City squad that day, it could also be the moment they announced themselves as first team squad members. Foden, a native of Stockport, looked calm and assured on the ball, catching the eye of a watching Pep Guardiola.

“I don’t have words – I would like to have the right words to describe what I saw,” said Guardiola of Foden’s display in Houston. “You are the lucky guys who saw the first game, for the first team for Manchester City, of this guy. It’s a long time since I saw something like this. His performance was another level. He’s 17 years old, he’s a City player, he grew up in the academy, he loves the club, he’s a City fan and for us he’s a gift.”

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Foden joined City at under-9 level and the playmaker has clearly caught the eye of those at City. Incredibly calm on the ball, and blessed with quick feet, he was not intimidated by the senior opposition he faced, with his style of play reminiscent of a young Jack Wilshere. Some may see that comparison as a thinly veiled warning on the dangers of potential, but under the guidance of someone like Guardiola there is every chance he can fulfill his promise.

The same can also be said of Brahim Diaz. The Spaniard was signed from Malaga in 2013 and only just turned 18 this week. Diaz, like Foden, has a number of skills that will appeal to someone like Guardiola. His balance and supreme ball control are supplemented by an ability to use both feet comfortably, with the player himself unable to distinguish which is his stronger foot.

“I think it’s right foot, but I don’t know,” he said during an interview with Soccer Am.

That versatility extends itself to the pitch, where Diaz has played in a number of positions for the club’s Elite Development Squad, including on the right wing and up front.

“When the first team see people, they can see I can play in every position,” Diaz told the club’s official website. “I can play in any position the coach needs me and I try to do my best. You have to play everywhere where they need you. You are improving the more games you play. It doesn’t matter where or for which team. It’s not about age or level – we are all at the same level.


“I don’t like to say a position that is my best but I feel comfortable down the middle. That’s my position as a number ten. There I can play short, I can drive. I feel comfortable in every position but I don’t mind where the coach puts me. I’ll play there.”

Foden may be less versatile, but he remains equally talented. His dangerous left-foot has earned him call-ups to England’s youth setup, and it is upon watching the pair you realise their importance to Guardiola and City.

Youth investment has been an important cornerstone since the City Football Group revolution swept over the club. At the youth team level it has produced results, with Man City’s kids reaching the FA Youth Cup final for the last three seasons. On all three occasions they’ve been beaten by Chelsea, who themselves have had a difficult time translating talented youth into first team regulars at Stamford Bridge. The sale of Nathaniel Chalobah to Watford this summer represents another player unable to break the glass ceiling at the club.

It could be argued Kelechi Iheanacho was trapped in a similar position. The Nigerian joined City’s academy at a fairly late stage in his youth career, and while his association with the academy was brief, it provided him no benefit in the first team as he struggled to dislodge the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero.

Of course, there is an argument to be made that City sold Iheanacho with a buy-back clause because they believe in his potential, and by constructing his transfer in that way it allows the player to develop and City to one day potentially bring him back — much like Real Madrid did with Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata.

The 20-year-old also had to wrestle with the fact there was just one spot in Guardiola’s team, while he could potentially be more accommodating to attacking midfielders like Foden and Diaz. The Spaniard is credited with developing a number of young players at Barcelona after his time with the club’s B-team. At Bayern Munich, that success with academy products was somewhat absent, and lead to questions over both Guardiola and the quality of Bayern’s academy.

At City, there is increasingly no concern with quality. Foden and Diaz represent arguably their brightest prospects, and Guardiola’s first chance to really shape City’s youth. Given the uncertain future of City’s Jadon Sancho — reportedly due to first team opportunities — it would be wise for the Spaniard to take the opportunity with both hands, and make it so Foden and Diaz’s appearance against Man United in Houston was just their first memorable moment in sky blue, rather than their last.