Kyle Walker has compared Phil Foden’s
ability to that of Lionel Messi, after the Manchester City forward scored four goals in the space of four days.
Foden ended a 307-day wait for a goal with the winning contribution in City’s 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday, in a match where Erling Haaland also struck twice before Zian Flemming’s late penalty for the visitors.
He then went a step further on Tuesday night, scoring a hat-trick as City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium.
Enzo Maresca’s side, who sit top of the Premier League, now turn their attention to Saturday’s trip to face Aston Villa.
‘The best I’ve ever seen’ – Walker’s verdict
Speaking on talkSPORT, former City captain and current England team-mate Walker was asked for his assessment of Foden and did not hold back.
“Technical ability, Phil Foden is probably the best I’ve ever seen,” Walker said. “I’ve not had the pleasure to play with [Lionel] Messi, but I’ve been on the field with Messi.
“But for God-given talent, what Phil Foden has, it’s unbelievable what he can do with a football. I always revert back to, if Phil Foden plays like he does for Man City, he obviously gets into the England team.”
Walker, who spent a decade alongside Foden at the Etihad before his departure from the club, has watched the midfielder develop from a precocious academy graduate into one of the club’s most important players during City’s most successful period.
Foden’s recent form will also be welcomed by Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, with Walker’s comments pointedly linking the player’s club performances to his international prospects.
Timely return to form ahead of Villa test
Foden’s burst of goals comes at a significant moment for Maresca’s team. Antoine Semenyo, who was injured against Ipswich Town, is set to be sidelined for around eight weeks, with the club saying the forward is expected to return in December.
That absence has left City short of attacking options, with Foden, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku among those required to fill the void in the front line.
Against AEK Athens, Maresca at a point deployed Foden as a false nine, and the move paid off emphatically. The 26-year-old opened the scoring with a first-half one-two involving Rico Lewis.
He doubled his tally by finishing another Lewis pass into the top corner, and completed his treble by tapping in a cross from substitute Ryan McAidoo with under 15 minutes remaining. Cherki added a fourth after a Foden cut-back as City ran out comfortable winners.
It continues a promising week for a player who endured a stop-start two seasons at the Etihad before this recent upturn.
Foden has said he still has work to do to return to his best level but believes he is heading in the right direction, and that he wants to keep repaying Maresca’s faith by scoring more regularly.
Should the in-form forward make it three starts in a row this weekend, City supporters will hope the player once dubbed “the Stockport Iniesta” can carry his red-hot touch into another away fixture that will test his side’s title credentials.
