Pep Guardiola has congratulated Phil Foden on winning the FWA Footballer of the Year award but has insisted the Manchester City midfielder can keep improving.
Foden was named FWA Footballer of the Year on Thursday after a brilliant individual season. The 23-year-old has scored 24 goals in all competitions, including two Premier League hat-tricks, and has added 10 assists for Guardiola’s title-chasing side.
He becomes the fourth Manchester City player to win the award in the Premier League era and succeeds teammate Erling Haaland in taking the prize.
“The writers decide this award. Congratulation for the writers and for him. He played really good this season, many players played really good this season and the writers decide for this award so what can I say? Congratulations,” Guardiola said at his press conference ahead of facing Wolves.
“[He’s done] really good. I have said many times. The impact in the final third is very good, his work ethic…Every year due to the amount of games he is playing and the minutes he is playing he is more mature.
“He understands the game better but he has to keep on improving, he is still young.”
Guardiola was asked if he felt vindicated in his role in Foden’s development, having decided against loaning out the midfielder earlier in his career.
“[Initially] he was playing in a team that won a lot of Premier Leagues and was playing in the final stages of a lot of competitions. It is not easy to play [in that team] that is so demanding.
“We can as a manager suggest something, but it belongs to them. Look at the case with Cole Palmer. What did I develop? I didn’t give him the minutes. The talent is there, in the end it depends absolutely on the players, what they do, and what they learn every single game.
“Always you can improve until you retire and you die, you can improve.”
