Jose Mourinho had already covered his tracks in stating that this pre-season derby, the first-ever to be held outside Manchester, was nothing more than a routine training exercise in a bid to save any potential blushes.
Yet it would be his opposite number Pep Guardiola who would be left red-faced, or more specifically his expensive new Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, tipped to become his country’s number one shot stopper for Russia 2018 and at fault for both goals - including one at the feet of striker Romelu Lukaka – that were enough for United to seal a 2-0 victory in front of a sell-out crowd in Houston.
The real revelation, however, came from the most unexpected of sources. “I don’t have words – I would like to have the right words to describe what I saw” gushed Guardiola. “You are the lucky guys who saw the first game, for the first team for Manchester City, of this guy.” he beamed to the press post-match.
Of course the Blues’ head coach did not speak of Ederson but instead 17-year-old Stockport native Phil Foden, who has been lauded for a performance that often had the world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera tied in knots.
Guardiola’s preference for English talent has been no secret, hence last week’s purchase of Kyle Walker, while City have often been mocked for their supposed investment in youth development despite paradoxically laying out millions for big signings. Finally though, their academy seems to have borne fruit.
Also a boyhood fan of the club, Foden has been on City’s books since the U-9’s and was first called up to the senior squad for a Champions League fixture against Celtic last year. Notching 15 goals in 31 showings for the U-18 side, Guardiola personally ordered that Foden train with the full team with a view to staying full time should he impress.
After last night’s showing, it can be safely assumed that Foden will stick around for City’s Premier League campaign with the English media already making comparisons to Paul Gascoigne as the left-footed, skilful youngster forced a save from David De Gea and demonstrated how hard he is in the tackle whilst able to swiftly change both pace and direction with two interceptions.
To those who kept abreast of England’s positive results at youth level in international competitions this summer, Foden’s display will have come as no surprise. In the Euro U-17 Championships, he marked two goals before his young lions were beaten by Guardiola’s native Spain. Given that he fits the exact prototype of the kind of player the ex-Barcelona and Bayern manager favours, we can expect to see plenty of Foden in the coming years and his career could be a pleasure to watch unfold.