Pep Guardiola described Phil Foden as a 'unique' talent after the midfielder delivered a sparkling performance in Manchester City's 3-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden, making his first start in over two months after another challenging period, demonstrated why the club are negotiating a new contract with him. He provided assists for Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush before Savinho sealed the win late on.
The 25-year-old set up Semenyo with a brilliant backheeled pass and later controlled a high ball for Marmoush to finish. Guardiola praised his creativity in breaking down a stubborn Palace defence.
'In these types of games, against a low block, you need quality, the spark, the talent, the vision,' Guardiola said. 'It is not in the tactical boards, meetings, or videos. Foden receives the ball in small spaces and creates something. He can deliver and I am really pleased for him. We want him close to the box because Phil close to the box is unique.'
Despite a second consecutive season of inconsistent form, City retain immense faith in the academy graduate. Guardiola added: 'He has to have a big role in the future and deliver what he has done for many years. He felt the love from the standing ovation. People want him to be happy. He is a box-to-box player with incredible attributes.'
Guardiola made six changes with Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea in mind, resting Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki. City stayed in touch with league leaders Arsenal. 'In general it was really good against a team that can cause problems,' Guardiola said. 'Three goals against Brentford, three here, I cannot ask for more.'
Palace had an early goal disallowed for offside and struggled to match City's intensity. Boss Oliver Glasner admitted: 'City were too good for us. We could not deliver a top performance. In possession we moved the ball too slowly and lost it too easily. The players could not deliver what we wanted.'
