Phil Foden: Carabao Cup final showing proves Manchester City midfielder ready for England squad

The calls for Jack Grealish to be called up to the England squad have become louder as the season has progressed. The Villa captain continues to shine at the top level of domestic football. But Sunday belonged to Phil Foden. The Stockport-born Manchester City starlet had shone brightest in front of a global audience.

This summer will see City enter a new era when David Silva departs the Etihad Stadium. The influential Spaniard will end his ten-year spell at the club when his contract expires at the end of June.

Even though Guardiola hasn't rushed Foden into regular first-team involvement, it's clear that the 19-year-old is the natural successor should City choose to promote from within.

Appearances such as those on Sunday will provide invaluable experience for a player who will have to hit the ground running if he is to step up and become a week-in, week-out player for the Citizens next season.

Even with Euro 2020 fast approaching, Guardiola could make no assurances of regular minutes towards the back-end of the campaign for Foden.

"Unfortunately for him he fights against one of the best in the world in his position," the City boss said after Sunday's game. "But in training he’s incredible and always ready.

"We can count on him to play wider or inside. He is ready to compete."

That performance at the home of English football proved what Guardiola has been saying. Foden is ready to compete for one of the best sides in Europe, even if the chances aren't as regular as he maybe would have hoped for.

It was a performance that demonstrated maturity and vision beyond his age, with the flair of a second-half dribble that saw him juggle the ball in the Villa half thrown in for good measure.

The vision he possesses was evident in City's first goal, when he latched onto a lofted pass towards the back post. Given the circumstances and time in the game, it would have been easy for the midfielder to visualise the headlines and look to find the back of the net himself. Instead, his header fell into the path of Sergio Aguero, who scored from the edge of the six-yard box, evidence of the selfishness and assuredness he'll need if he is to replace Silva.

Before that, the question is whether he can get into the England squad and, despite that influential performance in a major cup final, Foden finds himself as a 4/1 outsider to make it for Euro 2020

It's easy to forget that Foden has featured in over half of Manchester City's Champions League games this season. Across all competitions, he has made 25 appearances for Guardiola's side. Callum Hudson-Odoi, who featured in England's last 27-man squad, has played in 27 games for Chelsea.

Granted, there is a positional difference but it shows that the argument surrounding Foden's game time when it comes to involvement in the national team doesn't hold much weight. He's playing often enough for Gareth Southgate to have seen enough.

Sunday also potentially indicated where Guardiola sees the midfielder's future after having the luxury of carefully managing his development in a squad filled with world-class talent. The attacking midfield position looks to be Foden's main area, with the ability there to play out wide when required.

The main stage was also a learning environment on Sunday. Minutes before Aguero's opener, Guardiola was spotted on the sideline issuing instructions to Foden. It's not clear what was said but it could have been to do with remaining out wide, such was his natural instinct to roam around the central region of the attacking areas.

The wider positioning proved key in the opening goal of a game which was unlocked by a run towards the back post made by a player following the orders handed out to him.

Learning on the job is a key part of any footballer;s development, and Foden is getting an education that puts him above most others.

Southgate opted to take in Everton's clash with Manchester United rather than the final on Sunday, a game that would have left him wondering about England's current goalkeeping problems, but the reports he will have received will no doubt have been positive about a player involved in England's under-21s set-up.

Grealish will be top of Southgate's list of those not included in his current senior side but Foden's statistics backed up what was witnessed by the 80,000 in attendance at Wembley, and the millions more watching across the various international broadcasts.

His five shots were only matched by Aguero. Grealish had none. He had three successful dribbles. Grealish had none. His 90% pass success rate was better than any Aston Villa player, including 75% for Grealish.

Foden had 5.3% of the overall possession in the contest. The figure for Grealish stood at 3.4%. Again, Foden outshone every single Villa player involved.

Even his two successful tackles, only bettered by Oleksandr Zinchenko on the City side of things, showed his defensive work-rate. Once again, Grealish's contribution was none in this area.

And if that wasn't enough to demonstrate his dominance on the Wembley pitch, his 70 touches were again more than any other player from the opposition. Not only did the youngster perform but he had the trust of those around him to do so. There can be no higher praise at this stage of his career.

Foden dominated the statistics on Sunday and his numbers should continue their upward trend should he be chosen as Silva's successor; nailing down a position in the side he is threatening to at last making his own.

That's the long-term for Manchester City, a side who are on the verge of the losing their English crown to the equally impressive Liverpool.

In the more immediate future, England could use someone of his quality. A big-game player who has risen on each major occasion. Someone with the Under-17 World Cup and Player of the Tournament accolades on an already busy CV.

The issue for Foden at international level is that it's an area of the pitch packed with quality, an issue that has unfortunately replicated from club to country.

James Maddison, Mason Mount and Dele Alli are all in favour, with Grealish the name fancied to break into that trio if Southgate opts to make a change.

In Foden though, England have a player making his name stand-out in a squad packed with football's elite. There's always a heavy look at the future when it comes to the Three Lions' prospects, but Sunday shows that in this case, the future could well be now.

Odds correct at 1725 GMT (02/03/20)

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