Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has called the possibility of Phil Foden winning the Premier League this season with Manchester City “a disgrace”.
This statement could be misconstrued by fans of the current league leaders but the former West Ham United man was showering praise on the 22-year-old.
Foden broke into the Manchester City team in 2017 following his exploits in the 2017 FIFA under-17 World Cup. He won the golden ball in that tournament for being its best player and also came away with the trophy. Pep Guardiola would hand him his first team debut that same year and he would play the required number of minutes to be eligible for a Premier League winners’ medal.
He has gone on to win it four times in total as part of the most dominant team in England in the past decade. He is on the cusp of his fifth title, which he will lift on his 23rd birthday if Arsenal somehow manage to ruin their chances of beating City to the trophy after being on top of the league for more than seven months of the ongoing season.
That will be a huge feat for any player who has played in England. It will better the feat achieved by Gabriel Jesus, who won four titles by the age of 25 with Manchester City before moving on in the summer to Arsenal.
Ferdinand, who was recently named into the Premier League Hall of Fame for winning the title six times with Manchester United, implied that Foden’s possible fifth win will be a disgrace for other clubs with talented youngsters while praising him for being talented enough to remain valuable to a manager like Pep Guardiola.
He made these comments while discussing potential Hall of Fame inductees from the current crop of Premier League players.
“Kevin De Bruyne is the first name everyone is mentioning,” Ferdinand began. “Arsene Wenger (fellow inductee) mentioned him last night when he was asked and I agree.
“I think Mohamed Salah will end up in there. Erling Haaland… He can go in there after just one season! Haaland could jump in there right now and be comfortable.
“Who’s a young player I think who will end up in there? Phil Foden.
“Did you know that Foden, potentially at the end of this season, if Man City win the Premier League… he will have five titles. “He’s 23-years old! It’s a disgrace, an absolute disgrace.”
