Kevn De Bruyne has seen Phil Foden grow from a nervous kid into “one of the guys” over the past seven years. And the Manchester City midfield star is backing the 21-year-old to be one of the players who could make the difference in the white heat of the Bernabeu tomorrow night.
Foden stepped in to De Bruyne ’s boots by playing the main playmaker role as the Blues won 4-0 at Leeds on Saturday to keep their Premier League title chase on track. And he did so with great success, claiming two assists and a big hand in another City goal.
He is likely to start again as City protect a 4-3 lead from the first leg in the Champions League semi-final decider, having become one of Pep Guardiola’s go-to stars in big games. De Bruyne is another - he was rested at Elland Road for that reason - and he has watched the blossoming of Foden at close quarters since joining the club in 2015.
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“He's been amazing,” said De Bruyne. “I've seen him from a little boy who had massive potential - whenever you come up to a first team you are a little bit shy and it takes time and more playing time to get comfortable in that situation.
“But the last two years he has been in a very comfortable situation and you see the difference in the way that he plays. He's not a young talent anymore, he's one of the guys.”
Foden looked right at home in the first leg, a clash of two of the best teams on the planet, packed with world-class talent, like a player born to star on the biggest stage in club football.
Said De Bruyne: “It's a big step to make but now everybody looks at him to make a difference because he can. He's proven that lots of times and he probably will do much much more for this club in the future.
“I'm hoping he does the same that he's been doing. If you're playing constantly very well that is all you can do. He doesn't play with ups and downs, he just does what he needs to do for the team.”
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