Phil Foden has become a Manchester City superstar and his love for his boyhood club is what sets him apart from the rest.
The 23-year-old has played for Man City his whole career, going from fan to academy product to making history as a Treble winner.
His talents have been known at the club since his first academy session and he was that good at youth level he would play for teams above his age group.
They would take him to tournaments across Europe and even when he wasn’t playing, spectators could see that he was going to be special.
Darren Bowman, former City academy coach and current academy director for Lee Man FC in the Hong Kong Premier League, saw first-hand the impact Foden had with a ball at his feet.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, Bowman said: “There were tournaments that we took him to, just for the experience where he couldn’t play but we wanted to get him used to travelling and different environments.
“We took him to one tournament and he wasn’t there to play, so he was just having a kickabout at half time.
“And everybody there was talking about this kid that they saw at half time and why he wasn’t playing.
“That shows you the type of star presence he had.”
It was at another youth tournament that Foden could have taken a new path away from Man City, should the club have made a different decision.
“Another tournament he did play, and we got an offer from Inter Milan to buy him,” Bowman revealed.
“We were in Italy and they were asking ‘How much do you want?’
“There’s always interest and offers for players like that. You have to make sure you retain your best talent and keep them on the pathway.
“For someone like Phil, he was never going to leave. He’s a City fan, he was a City ballboy, he’s City through and through and he’s not interested in any other club.
“Phil was well known throughout the UK and Europe because of his level but there was no way he was going to leave the club or the club were ever going to let him leave.”
Now Foden is a leading member of Pep Guardiola’s squad, putting up the best numbers of his career in the Premier League and Champions League.
His growth has all come down to his beloved Man City whose easy choice to keep him as a youngster has led to him becoming one of the world’s best.
News Summary:
- Inter Milan wanted Phil Foden after youth tournament but he was ‘never going to leave’ beloved Manchester City
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.