Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden gear up for Manchester rivalry

Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden began their footballing journeys in identical fashion: two young boys from the Manchester City Academy, oozing confidence and skills, fast runs and dribbles, playing for England U-17s and earmarked for the first team for the club. They were among the new breed of English footballers who could dribble or lay a fancy pass as good as their Spanish counterparts.

But like any academy player with the top clubs, where success supersedes everything else, breaking into the first team XI wasn’t easy for either youngster.

So in 2017, when the time came to make career choices, they moved in different directions. Sancho’s omission from City’s 2017-18 pre-season tour to US saw him take a tough decision. He ditched City’s £30,000-a-week contract and a chance to play under Pep Guardiola to join Borussia Dortmund, who by then had carved out a reputation of giving youngsters ample opportunities.

Sancho’s decision took everyone by surprise. At a time when seasoned English pros were reluctant to leave England, a rookie taking that route was considered bold and risky.

“I paved the way for others,” Sancho had said in an interview.

On the contrary, Foden followed the traditional route which has seen many English youngsters fall by the wayside. After all, showing faith in homegrown talent hasn’t always been the Premier League way. Foden was an exception. Despite City’s dazzling roster of stars, he made regular inroads into the playing XI. Guardiola recently called the 21-year-old the “most talented player he has ever seen”.

Cut to 2021 and Sancho is back in England—after dazzling in the Bundesliga—with Manchester United, while Foden is now among first names on the City teamsheet.

Their career may have followed different trajectories, but it has brought them to the same place—becoming a valued, regular player for a top club in Premier League.

The next step for them will be to live up to their potential and help their clubs mount a serious challenge for the title, from the two halves of Manchester.

Last edition, City lifted their fifth Premier League title while United’s barren run extended to eight seasons—their last championship came in 2012-13.

Winning trophies is one of the things that attracted the 21-year-old Sancho to Old Trafford.

“Growing up, Manchester United was one of the biggest clubs that everyone knows, and of course there is also all the trophies they’ve won. That’s one of the reasons why I came to Manchester, because I can see the development that’s going on here and I want to be a part of it,” Sancho was quoted as saying by United’s website.

United have been chasing Sancho since last season but couldn’t crack the deal then due to the high valuation. They went in again this season and with Covid-19 pulling down transfer fees, they managed to sign him for £76.50 million.

What does Sancho bring to United’s attack? Style and swagger. That’s what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was craving for last season when the other young guns in their forward line—Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial—blew hot and cold. Edinson Cavani was injury prone in the early part of the season before giving a glimpse of what he is capable of towards the end.

Solskjaer described Sancho as an “untapped talent” and believes he can help United win silverware.

“He wants to win and that’s the next step for us. We need to take the next step, we want to take the next step and we feel that he can help us do that,” said Solskjaer.

Sancho scored 49 goals and had 63 assists across all competitions for Dortmund and was included in the Bundesliga Team of the Year in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

For Foden, he will miss the first month of the season due to a foot injury he sustained at Euro 2020.

With City signing Jack Grealish, the competition for places in City’s creative department—led by Kevin De Bruyne—is sure to grow but Foden won’t be bothered.

Making the City midfield must be one of the hardest things in the business–the team has been one of the biggest spenders in world football, to assemble what is one of the finest midfields in the game–yet Foden has risen to do exactly that. So much so, that Foden is now one of Guardiola’s go-to players when the chips are down for City.

Last season Foden enjoyed his best outing for the Citizens, featuring in 41 matches in the Premier League and Champions League, scoring 12 goals while assisting with eight. During City’s run of 27 wins in 29 games, Foden started 17 games and came on as a substitute in seven—another sign of him having Guardiola’s confidence, especially given the coache’s penchant of fiddling with his combinations.

Sancho and Foden have been stars since they were boys: Sancho was player of the tournament during the 2017 Under-17 European Championships and a few months later, Foden took that honour at the Under-17 World Cup in India. Now they will line up for two bitter rivals from the same city, hoping to be the torchbearers of English football.

Please sign in to continue reading

• Get access to exclusive articles, newsletters, alerts and recommendations
• Read, share and save articles of enduring value