Pep Guardiola Praises Phil Foden Amid Andres Iniesta Comparisons

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden following his first goal for the club in the 3-0 win over Oxford United on Tuesday. 

The young midfielder scored one and set up another in the easy victory for City in the Carabao Cup, with Oxford boss Karl Robinson saying after the match it was a display that reminded him of Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta, per Phil McNulty of BBC Sport.

Guardiola said he thinks the 18-year-old will be a player for the Premier League champions for many years to come, per Mark Mann-Bryans of the Press Association (h/t the MailOnline).

"The way he celebrated his first goal was like the final of the World Cup and that is because he is a City fan," Guardiola said. "My dream is for him to stay 10 years, and if Phil stays for 10 years, he can—in the next decade—play regularly and after (that) I don't know what is going to happen with him."

Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Independent noted how involved Foden was in the win for the League Cup holders on Tuesday:

Sam Lee of Goal relayed quotes from Robinson after the match, in which he was also beamed over the way in which the England international played:

Unsurprisingly, Guardiola himself was keen to calm any hype regarding similarities between Foden and his former player.

"Wow. These are big, big words," he added, per the initial report. "...I am not going to say he is going to become Iniesta because it puts pressure on him, Iniesta is by far one of the best players I ever saw in my life so we cannot put the pressure on Phil."

Warren Little/Getty Images

Foden's talent became apparent to many when England won the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017. The City man was the standout player in the competition, scoring twice in the win over Spain in the final and being recognised as the best footballer at the competition by the organisers.

Since then he's been on the fringes of the City first team, with players like David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva ahead of him in the pecking order. However, in his outings he's shown he is good enough to be a positive influence on this City outfit.

While his goal on Saturday was the third in the 3-0 win, the celebrations from the youngster showed just how much it meant to him:

The talent and temperament Foden possesses suggest he is primed for a long career at the highest level, especially with Guardiola overseeing this crucial phase of his youth development. Now it'll be intriguing to see just how much of a role he can play in the City first team this season.

With De Bruyne still sidelined with injury and David Silva likely to be subject to more rotation as he enters the twilight of his career, there may be chances for Foden to start Premier League games in the coming weeks, especially on the back of this display.

However, the League Cup is likely to continue to be Foden's best chance of showcasing his talent in a competitive environment for now and more masterclasses' like this will give Guardiola some tough, albeit envious, decisions to make.