Manchester City starlet Phil Foden has issued a subtly dig at Pep Guardiola for his criticism of his personality. The young English midfielder insists that his performance in training will speak for him after the Spanish manager challenged him to move past his shyness and be more assertive.
Despite being hailed as a potential future star for Manchester City, Foden is still struggling to get minutes at the club. In competition for places alongside some of the world's finest talents, the 19-year-old has amassed just 10 minutes of football action for the Citizens this season.
Last week, Pep Guardiola opined that the English prodigy will get multiple chances to prove his worth but urged him to be more imposing and less shy to aid his development under his tutelage. The City academy star has since responded by saying that he is ready to play more games regardless of what his manager says about his nature.
"He has his own opinions and I stick by how I am," Foden told reporters as per Goal.
"I just know that I'm ready to play. I feel like I am. I try to show him every day in training.
"There is a bit of team-mates telling me to be patient but obviously I'm hungry and want to play now. I'm going to fight for it every day. I'm ready to play whenever."
Foden, who featured in the England Under-21s's clash with Turkey on Saturday, subsequently stated that he would have loved it had Pep viewed his excellent performance in the day.
"It will be nice if Pep watched the Turkey game but maybe he's taken a little holiday to play golf or something! I wouldn't blame him," he added.
"It's massively important to start with a win. It gives your team a boost; when you don't get off to a good start sometimes it can affect you.
"It's going to take a couple of games. We can already see the potential that the group has and we are only going in the right direction."
