With Phil Foden’s talent reaching new heights, Pep Guardiola spoke of the Manchester City player in the same breath as the legendary Lionel Messi.

More praise for Foden was shown after his brace in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, as his manager declared the 23-year-old to be the finest player in the Premier League right now.

Guardiola went one step further, though, saying he was reminded of a young Messi by Foden’s ability to take control of games in crucial situations.

Phil Foden scored twice for Man City as they beat their rivals United in the Manchester derby

The English forward drew comparisons to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi from his manager

Guardiola said to TV2 that “the best players, you can play well-but you have to win games, and I met the biggest player ever like Messi.” “He is capable of winning games, and while Phil is not on Leo’s level, I don’t want to draw comparisons.”

When the Catalan’s comments were brought up to Foden, he said, “No way?” It’s great to hear that from the manager, but Messi is in a league of his own. You can’t compare anyone to him.

Foden’s growth was highlighted by his assessment that City was rushing things following Marcus Rashford’s early game-winning goal; this suggests that he has internalized Guardiola’s philosophy, and observers like Thomas Frank are speculating that Foden may contend for future Ballon d’Or awards.

The England international has to develop into a top central midfielder by knowing when to slow down games and being more aware of his defensive duties, according to the City manager, who has frequently mentioned this necessity.

Since City lost two crucial points to Crystal Palace in December due to an error in the closing minutes, Foden’s performances have improved significantly. Foden, who was instrumental in Saudi Arabia’s Club World Cup victory, has now scored 18 goals across all competitions, which is his best ever performance.

At the same age, he has one more senior appearance than Messi (257), although the Argentine has played in approximately 40 more matches than him in terms of minutes.

After recovering from injury and losing form, which led to a supporting role in last year’s Treble, Foden has been working additional hours after training to improve his finishing this season. He hasn’t looked back.

“I believe I’ve simply developed as a player,” he continued, sharing the source of his latest joy. “It’s essentially a joke from the guys; they call me the sniper because they say I shoot a lot in training.”