Pep Guardiola asked whether Phil Foden could be Kevin De Bruyne replacement for Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been asked whether Phil Foden could be the successor to Kevin De Bruyne at the heart of his midfield from next season.

The Belgian international icon announced at the end of last week that the ongoing campaign would be his final season at Manchester City, having been an integral part of the club’s remarkable success over the last decade.

Establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s all-time greatest-ever midfield talents, De Bruyne will leave behind a staggering legacy at the Etihad Stadium and an even greater hole for club officials to fill in the coming months.

Many have already began speculating who the club could turn to as an external hire to bring in via the transfer market, with the likes of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz mooted in some quarters.

However, one direction the club could look to go in is the increasing of responsibilities handed to an existing name such as Phil Foden, before then turning their attentions to a new signing in another position.

Speaking during a recent press conference, manager Pep Guardiola was asked whether Foden could be the man to step into the Kevin De Bruyne-sized hole to be vacated by the Belgian in the upcoming summer off-season.

“They have played together in the last years together many, many times,” Guardiola told reporters. “So the specific quality from Kevin, we don’t have that player in our squad, we don’t have it!”

Guardiola continued, “Phil has another attributes that are also difficult to find in our squad. I know it’s going to happen, but it’s not you have to have a player to do the role of Kevin.

“Everyone has to do his own role, they have their skills and quality. This is what we have to do.”

Phil Foden has endured one of his most difficult campaigns to date as a senior member of Manchester City’s first-team squad, just months after claiming the Premier League and PFA’s respective Player of the Season awards for the 2023/24 season.

Much has been made of burnout when it comes to the 24-year-old’s decline in performance, while there has been a suggestion that injury, fatigue, and perhaps illness have played a role in the challenges faced by Foden this season.

It remains to be seen what sort of role is envisioned for Phil Foden heading into the new season in light of Kevin De Bruyne’s exit, although there is no chance of a review of his feature despite his challenging performances this campaign.