Sometimes as a coach there’s a realisation that you’ve struck gold.
Just ask Jim Cassell, the former head of the Manchester City academy, who watched in wonder as a nine-year-old Phil Foden skipped past defenders as if they weren’t there; his feet treading so softly around those flailing to tackle him that he could have been wearing carpet slippers.
On Saturday evening he’ll be hoping to do the same to Chelsea on the biggest stage in European club football and Cassell, along with his former academy colleague, Paul Power – who captained City in three cup finals – will be watching on.
“Whenever I saw Philip play, I would have a little joke with Terry John and Barry Pointon [two of Foden’s coaches in the City academy] and say ‘whatever you do, make sure you get that little left footer signed up’,” says Cassell.
“He was different. You see what he’s got now, his qualities – he’s got great agility, he’s got the ability to manipulate the ball across his body without touching it. He had those as a kid.
“What we were all frightened of is that you see kids who are dominant at the age of seven, and then fade when they get to 13 or 14. Philip has just kept getting better and better.”
This season Foden has been little short of sensational, going from being a bit-part player at the Etihad to one of the main men in a line-up containing some of the most gifted footballers on the planet. “He is, in my opinion, getting to the top of the development pyramid that we would always have in our heads as coaches and player developers,” says Cassell.
“We wanted to find the guy who could eventually control and run a game, and that’s where he headed. He can achieve anything now, provided he stays away from injury because you never know how an injury is going to affect a player.
“He looks to me to be in a great environment with Pep Guardiola and the other players – they seem to have created this environment that’s perfect for him.”
Foden’s role in this City side extends well beyond his ability to create and finish chances. In a money-no-object era when the club can go out and sign pretty much whoever they chose, Foden is a player that the locals can relate to.
Power knows just how essential that is to those who file through the turnstiles to watch the club’s galaxy of stars, with the former full-back-cum-midfielder playing in an era when a significant, if not total, Mancunian presence was taken for granted at Maine Road.
“I love him because he puts the ‘Manc’ in Manchester City,” says Power. “When I played and we got to the FA Cup final in ’81 and the League Cup final in 1976, around about that period we had a good cup team, and a team full of local lads.
“In the semi-final against Middlesbrough in ’76 there were ten players from Manchester in the side. It was only Asa Hartford who wasn’t a Manchester lad. Now Phil Foden is the only one.”
Although firmly grounded in his north-west roots, Foden has, under the guidance of Guardiola, blossomed into one of most exciting talents in the global game. Despite coming under pressure to send Foden out on loan, Guardiola has very much allowed Foden to develop at his own pace.
That’s a factor that Cassell believes has been crucial in making the 21-year-old indispensable for club and country. “The one thing that dampens development is changes in managers,” he says.
“When I was academy manager I worked with seven different managers. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Pep because I’d retired and gone from the club when he arrived.
“But clearly, from the age of 16, Philip has had Pep Guardiola as his mentor, his manager and his developer. That has given him a seamless pattern.
“Pep has had criticism for not giving him enough game time and not sending him out on loan. But he saw what we saw when he was a young boy – he’s special.” In Portugal, on Saturday night, the kid from Stockport has the perfect stage to demonstrate that to the world.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3yKZGL6
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