Troy Deeney has lavished praise on Phil Foden after his heroics in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
Foden scored a brace in the second half of the Manchester derby, helping turn the match around and helping the hosts to a convincing victory at the Etihad.
The 23-year-old opened his account for the day with a stunning long-range shot to draw his team level, after Marcus Rashford’s spectacular opener, before the England star found the back of the net again in the 80th minute. .
It was an imperious display from the Manchester City graduate and former striker Deeney has compared his game to Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho.
“For me, he’s one of those people that, you know, when you used to watch Ronaldinho play, freedom, he’s one of those people.” Deeney said on match of the day.
Troy Deeney (left) praised Phil Foden (right) after his heroics in Manchester City’s 3-1 derby win over Man United.
Foden scored twice as Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Deeney has compared Foden’s playing style to Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho
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‘They don’t have many of those rebels in the game anymore. You give him the ball and you see like a street footballer playing and you say: “Wow, that’s good, I want to see it.”
“And I think that’s what I see when I look at it anyway.”
Roy Keane also praised Foden after the victory at the Etihad and said he has to be part of Gareth Southgate’s plans.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane said: “I won’t be too hard on United today because City were brilliant, they showed why they are champions.” City discovers all your deficiencies.
‘Foden stepped forward. Incredible and brilliant player. City played United. When you play at City there are no hiding places.
“There is great competition in that England team and Gareth (Southgate) is very lucky, but Foden has to be in that starting XI.
‘As brilliant as his progress was today, the other parts of the game, his running back and his work for the team. To me, this guy is an absolute team player. He has to be in that England team.”
United took an early lead but Foden showed all his class to score twice to give City the victory.
Foden scored a stunning first goal to level the scores in the second half.
After the match, former United captain Roy Keane praised the Manchester City striker.
Foden’s teammate Kyle Walker also praised his compatriot and revealed the reasons for the striker’s celebration.
Speaking to Sky Sports: ‘This season Phil has been nothing less than first class. That is the standard he sets for himself. That is the standard that the director sets for him. He needs to keep it up now.
‘We call Phil the sniper because he likes to shoot. When he comes in with that left foot, you know he has the quality and composure to pick his spot. He took his goals fantastically well.
Speaking after the match, Foden’s manager Pep Guardiola reflected on the forward’s brace that day. He said: ‘It’s the amount of games he’s playing.
“He was always a talented player but now he is more mature and understands the game better, especially defensively.
Pep Guardiola (left) believes Foden (right) is the best player in the Premier League at the moment
“He can play in the center, on the right, create moments and cut inside, play on the left and score from the left.” What can I say? He is the best player in the Premier League right now because of the amount of things he does. Incredible.’
That day, Marcus Rashford opened the scoring with a tremendous long-range shot in the first eight minutes of the game.
However, Foden scored twice in the second half, before Erling Haaland added a third late on, to ensure all three points went to the hosts.
The first attempt was a long-range shot that trickled into the top corner, and the second was a clean, well-executed shot that went into the back of the net.