Kyle Walker reveals Phil Foden dressing room nickname sparking iconic Man City celebration

Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has revealed the nickname inside the dressing room for in-form forward Phil Foden, following his latest goalscoring antics.

Foden took his tally of goals for the season to a staggering 18 through a match-changing brace over cross-town rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, first equalising for the Blues before moving them into the lead.

The 23-year-old’s antics in front of goal cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s first-half opener, before Erling Haaland would round off the scoring late on in the contest, ensuring that Manchester City would remain just one point behind leaders Liverpool.

Speaking after the game, Kyle Walker addressed the media on Phil Foden, piling on the praise for the England international – who is now staking a serious claim to be starting for Gareth Southgate’s side at the European Championships this summer.

First asked on when Manchester City’s players introduced their new nickname for Phil Foden, connected to the Englishman’s threat in front of goal, Walker revealed that the tag for the 23-year-old goes right back to when the Stockport-born forward broke through.

“Since like 2017! He loves a shot,” Walker explained. “He practices and he puts the work in, he always does extra shooting. His goals are coming and he’s reaping the rewards. He needs to keep this up.”

The City captain continued, “When he comes in on his left foot, we call him ‘The Sniper’ because he likes to shoot! When he comes in on the left foot, he has the quality, calmness and composure to pick his spot. He took his first goal fantastically well. 

“The second one, coming in off the left side, you don’t really see Phil much in that position, but for him to find that corner as he did, shows his flexibility. He can play on both sides and is even trusted down the middle at times this season.”

Walker went on to praise the weight on Foden’s shoulders that the youngster is simply taking in his stride, “It’s a big part of the responsibility that he’s taken on for the team and we lean on him and we need important players like him. They win you games.

“This season he’s been nothing short of first class. That’s the standard that he sets for himself, that’s the standard that we and the manager set for him and that’s the standard he needs to keep up now.”

Phil Foden could be afforded an opportunity to rest in midweek ahead of next weekend’s mammoth clash at Anfield against Liverpool, with Manchester City taking on FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 advantage in their favour from the first-leg.

A place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competitions looks within touching distance, however Pep Guardiola fielding his strongest possible eleven should not be ruled out given his respect for the Danish club.