Kevin De Bruyne’s injury in the first Premier League game of the season is a huge blow for Man City.
The playmaker has been a driving force behind their success for so long, but they will have to do things without him.
He is not likely to be available for City until next year after tearing his hamstring and may need surgery.
Now it might be time for Phil Foden to step up and shine like everyone knows he can.
Pep Guardiola usually rotates Foden on the left with Jack Grealish, but De Bruyne’s injury means he will be forced inside.
That will be put to the test on Saturday when Man City host Newcastle at the Etihad – with commentary live on talkSPORT.
Former Liverpool and Charlton midfielder Danny Murphy thinks it will be tough for Foden to step in and replace him.
He told talkSPORT: “It can happen to anyone at any time and it’s easy to blame the scheduling. The reality is they won the league without De Bruyne for the majority of the season a couple of years ago.
“They’ve got an amazing squad, but I would be amazed if they didn’t dip into the market anyway.
“They lost Mahrez, who got a large chunk of goals and assists, and they’ve only really brought in Kovacic in midfield.
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“If you lose Mahrez and Gundogan’s creative element, which is high, I think you can do a few things.
“You can play Foden in that role, who is a different type [of player]. You could sign [Lucas] Paqueta too, but there’s no one in the world who has end product like [De Bruyne].”
A deal for West Ham star Paqueta is not close as things stand, but that could change.
But Foden has the backing of his Man City teammates to play in that De Bruyne role.
Rodri said: “He is a player who can play anywhere. I think he’s the best player we have in between the lines turning and facing the goal.
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“When he plays there I like him very much, but when he plays as winger he’s very decisive and gets goals and assists.
“It’s up to the coach to decide where to put him, but he can play that role very easily because he’s so talented.”
Foden’s talent is undeniable and his ascension into the Man City first team has been carefully managed by Pep Guardiola.
Since his debut during the 2017/18 season, his game time slowly ramped up.
However, there was a suggestion that it might be beneficial for him to go out on loan to get some much needed first team experience.
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That idea was blocked by Guardiola, with one of those teams who reportedly tried to sign him being Newcastle in 2019.
The 23-year-old, yes he is still only 23, is already a five-time Premier League winner and can finally take the starring role we know he’s capable of… starting against the Magpies on Saturday.
You can hear Man City vs Newcastle live and exclusive on talkSPORT this Saturday at 8pm.
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