Rio Ferdinand has claimed that with how brilliant Phil Foden was against Aston Villa, a certain Manchester City player must have felt the pressure to perform against Crystal Palace.
Foden was on fire against Villa, as he became the first English player to amass more than 30 contributions this season without scoring a penalty after registering the third Premier League hat-trick of his career.
The Manchester City technician further solidified his claim to be one of the best midfielders in world football against Unai Emery’s side.
There seems to be a desire to see Phil Foden play as a number 10 for both City and England, as he continues to prove that he is a genuine world-class performer in his natural role.
However, the 23-year-old is yet to cement his place for either club and country as their first-choice attacking midfielder.
But that does not indicate that the Englishman is not putting the onus on his competitors for the role, both for his country and especially for his club to ensure they step up in his absence.
Rio Ferdinand says Phil Foden is putting one Manchester City star under pressure to perform
At the Etihad Stadium, one of those players is certainly Bernardo Silva, as he is often tasked to pick up positions as an advanced midfielder when City are in possession.
Against Aston Villa, the Portuguese international was deployed as a left-sided attacking midfielder, as he swapped positions with Jack Grealish throughout the contest.
Bernardo was typically bright against the Villains but he was far from his magisterial best.
When Foden has played in that position this campaign, however, more often than not, he has proven that such a role suits his game to a tee, like in the 3-2 win against RB Leipzig or the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace this season.
Especially when the treble-winner is allowed to have the freedom to pick up different zones in midfield to do what he does best, he can be devastating.
But Rio Ferdinand feels a player who must have felt the pressure to showcase his quality against Crystal Palace was Kevin De Bruyne due to Phil Foden setting the world alight against Aston Villa.
“Listen, he’s just a wonderful talent and I think we’re just lucky to have him in the Premier League at this stage where we’re just sitting here and be able to unpick his game”, he initially said about the £54 million man on TNT Sports.
Ferdinand continued, “And today, I don’t care how experienced you are or what you’ve done, he would’ve heard the murmurings, he would’ve seen…”
“I think he knows what Phil Foden did, he saw it, a hat-trick and he’s now coming into that position and the man who scored a hat-trick has come out, he’s come in for him. He knows that, so there’s going to be an element of pressure, we’ll ask him when we get him here in a little while.”
Rio Ferdinand also stated that how Kevin De Bruyne celebrated his first goal of the game in Manchester City’s 4-2 win against Crystal Palace, it was telling that he had a point to prove after the recent Phil Foden masterclass.
“But I know deep down, whatever answer he gives us, there was a little bit and that’s why you saw that reaction when he scored and the manager’s because it’s justification for why I’m in the team justification for why Pep [Guardiola] picked him, why he’s blowing him kisses.”
Interestingly, De Bruyne did go on to admit that Foden has kept him on “his toes.”
The best of Kevin De Bruyne will emerge if he is kept on his toes
If Phil Foden continues to play at the high standard he is, he will keep pushing Kevin De Bruyne to step up to the plate, as Rio Ferdinand stated.
Ultimately, that is only good news for Manchester City as after how much De Bruyne has already accomplished, for him to feel the pressure of Foden’s rise and have the onus to perform will prompt him to raise the bar as high as possible.
The hungrier a player of the Belgian’s ilk is, the more he will try to get out of himself and for teams that face City, that is a frightening prospect as he remains a force of nature.
As a result, one hopes a certain level of healthy competition between De Bruyne and Foden continues to exist.