Foden and Greenwood: a masterclass in man-mangement

Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden represent and embody the next generation of top English talent. Despite being on opposite sides of Manchester, parallels between the two can be drawn - ranging from their dynamic approach play, lethal finishing and a cool decision-making.

It is not just playing traits that the two share - perhaps the most important thing they have in common is that they have been exceptionally well managed by both Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Phil Foden

Despite recent media posts suggesting that Phil Foden has exploded onto the scene this season, any who have followed his career a little more closely would know that Foden has earned his chance to shine the hard way.

Despite Pep's comments back in October 2019 that "not even £500 million" would be enough for Manchester City to let go of Foden, the youngster only made only nine starts in the Premier League last season.

Just over halfway through the current season, Foden has already bettered his starting appearances (11) and has equalled his goal-scoring tally (five). This has seen many fans come forward and question why Foden and his remarkable consistency (despite often being deployed in different positions) haven't been featured by Pep any earlier and a little more often.

The genius of Pep is evident for all to see. City are cruising at the top of the Premier League right now, having just blown Liverpool away and ending their Anfield curse (with the star of the show being... you guessed it - Phil Foden)

Foden has seen his talent nurtured by perhaps the best tactical mind in the sport in Pep Guardiola.

One must bear in mind that this incredible record breaking run (15 wins in a row in all competitions) that has seen them rocket to the summit of English football has been performed without a recognised striker and more recently, without the creative genius of Kevin De Bruyne.

This demonstrates perhaps the most 'together' group in all of world football today - injuries to key players in important positions has allowed what were previously 'fringe' players the opportunity to flourish.

And flourish they have - John Stones has bounced back seemingly from the brink of the point of no return, Bernado Silva has triumphantly re-found his brilliant best, and Joao Cancelo has made a serious case for being called the best full back in world football this season. Even Ilkay Gundogan has stepped his already high levels up a gear.

Pep has also overseen a resurgence in form of others in the squad, most notably in the case of Joao Cancelo.

Those bounce-backs and form-finders have surprised me, but Foden taking advantage of his shot at a starting spot has not. Pep has masterfully broken Foden in slowly, particularly giving him more meaningful minutes in the last run of games last season.

Foden played in the 10 of the final 11 games last term. He found himself deployed in centre-midfield, and on both flanks. This allowed Pep to gauge his best position whilst also giving Foden valuable game-time. With only one goal of the five he scored in that run of games coming from central midfield, it became obvious that Foden was destined to play out wide.

Pep has followed the goals, having only deploying Foden in midfield three times so far this season (with only one of those being for a full 90 minutes). His success on the wing was summed up by his spectacular performance at Liverpool - the boy is a revelation.

His acceleration is remarkable, and I believe him to have the trickiest feet in the City squad (although Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez would have something to say about that). This was perhaps characterised against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup at the start of January.

Foden stole the show in a dominant 4-1 win at Anfield.

For all his positional and decision-making faults, there are few (if any) better one-on-one defenders in the world than Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Sterling has found it very difficult to beat the Red Devil's right-back in the past few Manchester derbies, something that defined those games.

In attempt to get more joy from the left-hand side, Pep deployed Foden. In all the games I've watched him (and believe me, there's been a lot), I've never seen Wan-Bissaka struggle so much against a single opponent - Foden eased past him on two or three occasions.

If that doesn't convince you, re-watch last weeks proceedings at Anfield - should you do that, you will see that Foden spent the best part of 90 minutes giving Fabinho (whilst out of position, he is still an intimidating player to take on) and Robertson a run around.

A duel that has defined the last few Manchester derbies has seen a development in the form of Phil Foden, who's success was well documented one-on-one against Wan-Bissaka in the Carabao Cup Semi-Final last month.

This has all been allowed to happen firstly though his considerable natural talent, but secondly through exceptional coaching - Pep found his best position, and has found out how to get the best out of him.

A real testament to Foden's footballing intelligence, character and commitment must also be made, playing any and all positions that have been asked of him by his manager.

Mason Greenwood

Now, let us take a trip to the other side of Manchester and check-in on Mason Greenwood.

Whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not placed in the same bracket as Pep in terms of tactical genius, he does pride himself on his excellent man-management skills.

There is no denying that Ole has done an exceptional job on Greenwood - it feels like he's made a real project of turning Mason into a versatile threat.

Solskjaer has worked hard with Greenwood off and on the pitch.

The United boss has managed to address his problems at right-wing and give Greenwood the much-needed playing time he needs at the same time. Greenwood, naturally a striker, has undoubtedly learned and considerably added to his skillset by playing as a winger.

A natural-born goalscorer, Greenwood has been forced to turn into a playmaker for much of this season. His left-footed delivery from the right has been key, especially given Aaron Wan-Bissaka's lack of attacking prowess.

Although his goals and assists record this season isn't particularly impressive, fans and the media alike generally accept Manchester United to be a far better side with him in it.

Following the doomed pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, many were found worrying about who would be lining up on the right hand side for United this season. Any of Pogba, Rashford, Greenwood and James have been deployed so far (plus the recent arrival of Amad Diallo from Atalanta further populated the position), meaning that competition for that spot is very healthy. But of all of those big names, Greenwood has been by far the most consistent there.

The doomed pursuit of Sancho has allowed Greenwood to make a case for a starting spot at right-wing.

Ole has not only found a way to get Greenwood playing, but has also overseen a transformation of character. Just a few months ago, Greenwood (and indeed Foden) was sent home from international duty, followed shortly by reports of consistent tardiness in training.

Solskjaer was barraged by reporters questioning Greenwood's professionalism for weeks at a time. And now?

Nothing.

Solskjaer made a point of keeping this in-house and keeping it quiet. Whatever he (and reportedly a number of ex-United players) has said to him has forced Mason Greenwood to buck his ideas up.

We all remember the classic case of Ravel Morrison - perhaps the most highly coveted youngster in United history throwing it all away because of a poor attitude. Greenwood ad Manchester United will do well to avoid that piece of history repeating itself.

Now, with his attitude problems seemingly behind him, his football is doing the talking. He may not be grabbing as many headlines as Foden right now, but I were a gambling man, I'd put money on Greenwood to be by the end of the season.

Think back to the scandal that these two were involved in with the England squad. Fast forward a few short months and both players are back in the papers for the right reasons - it goes to show firstly how fast things can move in football, but also how quickly these two can move forward and improve. One must also pay tremendous dues to both of their respective managers too for what has truly been two wonderful cases of excellent, top-level man-management.

For a long time, writing about these two generation-defining players has been dominated with sayings such as 'bright future' and 'full of potential', but in my opinion, they should be talking about what they are offering their respective teams now. Both of these players can only build on their impressive performances so far this season, and I am confident that we will begin to see them on a more consistent basis in their starting XI's and later, in the history books.

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