Pep Guardiola must reinstate ‘exceptional’ Man City player, only two teams fear him more than Man United
Pep Guardiola is already under pressure to turn Man City’s form around after surprise back-to-back Premier League defeats.
There has already been talk about Man City sacking Guardiola should his side face a third consecutive Premier League loss to Man United on Sunday, 14 September, and those noises are not going away.
With the Citizens currently sitting 13th in the league table after three matches, supporters are becoming extremely concerned that the manager is not up to the challenge ahead of a long, drawn-out season.
However, Football Insider understands that Guardiola’s job remains safe at Man City despite their slow start, but that there is no reason why that could not change after the Manchester derby.
Phil Foden should start against Man United after injury blow
If City are to beat their direct rivals this weekend, and fans will be desperate for a positive result at the Etihad Stadium, one man who needs to return to the lineup is Phil Foden.
Ally McCoist is extremely concerned for Foden after the playmaker was left out of the most recent England squad, and supporters at the Etihad certainly share the same worries this season.
Despite notching 15 goal contributions across all competitions last term, the 25-year-old has played just 15 minutes of football, but he may need to be called upon after Omar Marmoush suffered an injury while on international duty with Egypt.
However, his incredible form against the Red Devils is hardly a secret, having been labelled an “exceptional player” by his manager following the 6-3 win over United back in 2022 [BBC Sport].
Who has Phil Foden supplied more goal contributions against?
In 15 games against United, Foden has been on the winning side nine times, notching six goals and an assist, and only two other teams in the Premier League would hate to come up against him more.
With eight goals and an assist, Brighton are by far his most favourite team to face, recording those stats in just 12 matches, while he has five goals and three assists in eight games against Bournemouth.
He could move his Man United stats on par with the Cherries should he score or assist at the weekend, and he will feel he has a point to prove after falling down Guardiola’s pecking order in recent months.