Foden seeks to give Guardiola selection headache
Phil Foden feels ready to give Pep Guardiola the best kind of headache for City after fully recovering from his injury.
Foden, 22, started the season in electric form and scored a hat-trick against FA Cup final opponents Manchester United in a 6-3 walloping at the Etihad in October. However, the Manchester City star began to fall out of the team before the World Cup and has struggled to regain his place since, not helped by a few injuries.
The City forward was forced to sit out some matches including the league game at Arsenal with a niggling foot injury that kept flaring up, and just as he was looking back to his best in performances against Bristol City and Newcastle he had to undergo an emergency operation for appendicitis in March.
That sidelined him for the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern and - with Jack Grealish undroppable on the left wing and Bernardo Silva reaching similar status for big games - meant he played just four minutes in the league win over Arsenal at home and seven minutes across two legs against Real Madrid in the European semi-final.
Winning the Premier League early has allowed Guardiola to play Foden back into rhythm with three consecutive starts, and he showed in particular against Brighton that he could link up brilliantly with Erling Haaland and shine in a strong XI against good opponents. It may feel like the City manager has a settled XI for the biggest games, but Foden feels sharp again and ready to test that theory for the upcoming showdowns that could see the club make history with a Treble.
Xavi lifts lid on Barcelona interest in Man City star Cancelo
Xavi has revealed that Barcelona were initially offered Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo in the January transfer window but that City eventually decided against the move taking place.
Cancelo was shipped out in January for the second half of the season, joining Bayern Munich, where he recently won the Bundesliga title. His January exit points to him leaving Pep Guardiola's side on a permanent basis this summer, though it has been reported that Cancelo will not join Bayern on a permanent basis.
It remains to be seen where Cancelo will play his football from this summer onwards. Barcelona is a potential option for the Portugal international after the Spanish side's previous interest, while Arsenal has also recently emerged as a possible escape route.
Xavi has revealed that Barca were offered Cancelo in January by City and the Camp Nou side were keen to bring the defender to Catalonia. However, following internal discussions at City, Xavi says the Premier League champions informed their Spanish counterparts they did not want to allow the defender to join them, and he later headed to Bayern.
Read what he had to say on the subject here
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