Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed 'incredible' young midfielders Phil Foden and Mason Mount as future England stars.
Foden was handed a rare start for City as they eased past Dinamo Zagreb in a 4-1 victory in the Champions League, with the 19-year-old scoring his side’s fourth of the evening.
Mount meanwhile played a key role for Chelsea as they clinched their place in the knockout stages after beating Lille 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Twenty-year-old Mount has managed five goals and two assists from 16 league games this season, having made his debut for the England national team earlier this year.
Foden was making his first start for City since October in the game at Zagreb, in which he won his 50th cap for the club. He then joined fellow English teenagers Wayne Rooney, Jadon Sancho and Theo Walcott in scoring three Champions League goals in the age bracket, with his effort six minutes from time.
The youngster is yet to receive a senior international call-up, but City manager Guardiola is expecting both Foden and Mount to have a big impact on the England team in years to come.
“The way you play in England is a bit different [to Spain],” Guardiola said. “But now young players at Chelsea, Mount for example, are quite similar. One-on-one, creating more spaces.
“England have an incredible generation for the young players, the next decade England has incredible players and it’s good for the country.”
Foden played a crucial role in City’s 4-1 win in Croatia, assisting striker Gabriel Jesus for the second goal while also being heavily involved for the Brazilian’s other two strikes
It was only his fourth start of the season in all competitions after playing just 84 minutes in the Premier League in 2019-20.
Guardiola selected Foden on the left of City’s three-man midfield alongside Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan.
And when asked what he thought about the youngster’s performance, his manager said: “So good.
“I think he’s a player who is more dangerous closer to the box than away from the box. He still has to learn a bit away from the box.
“When he played close to the box, attacking central defenders, he was incredibly dangerous, he played really well.”