Man City have the best player in the Premier League and it’s not Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, says Pep Guardiola

Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland are not the best players in the Premier League at present, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager has been speaking after his side recorded yet another victory in the Premier League and extended their unbeaten run across competitions to a staggering 19 games, going back to mid-December.

Marcus Rashford’s first-half goal in the Manchester derby may have had the reigning Premier League champions questioning their performance on Sunday afternoon, but a blistering second-half display inspired by Phil Foden turned around their fortunes.

The 23-year-old playmaker – operating on both wings at various stages in the contest – scored twice against Manchester United, before Erling Haaland would round off the scoring in additional time.

Quizzed after the game on whether Phil Foden can become one of the best players in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola insisted that on current performances, the Manchester City playmaker already is the best player in the division at present.

“He is right now, this season, yes,” Guardiola said. “He has been the best, so far. Always I had the feeling he could score goals, in the training sessions, but now he is winning games.

“He has incredible work ethic, it doesn’t matter the position he doesn’t complain. But now he wins games. When I arrived he was 17 and he had it. He lives to play football. He loves it.”

Guardiola continued, “He understands defensively what he has to do – before he was not really good, so he understands the games better now. The most important thing, when he got the ball close to the box, everyone got the feeling that something is going to happen. 

“The feeling he is aggressive to score, that’s why he is becoming a really important player for us and the national team.”

Phil Foden has recorded a staggering 28 goal contributions across all competitions so far this season, scoring 18 goals and providing a further 10 assists in what is becoming comfortably his most productive season with the Manchester City first-team to date.

City take on Liverpool at Anfield in their next outing, with the meeting on Merseyside presenting the champions with an opportunity to go two points clear at the top should they record victory against their title rivals.