Former Blackburn Rovers player Chris Sutton said Jadon Sancho has been an inspiration for young players to have the courage to leave their Premier League club, to seek more game time elsewhere.
That is what the young England winger did when he left Manchester City in 2017, due to lack of game time. He joined Borussia Dortmund, where he has excelled ever since.
Speaking on OTB AM, Sutton feels a player like Phil Foden at Manchester City should follow the same path as Sancho, where instead of waiting for an opportunity to come, they could seek out a club that will guarantee match time.
“I take my hat off to these young players. There is a good argument on this, Phil Foden for his talent, still hasn’t had enough game time for Manchester City.
“The last few seasons we would’ve been expecting him to get more game time, especially with David Silva leaving.”
Foden made his first league start for the club in a 2–0 win over Cardiff City in April 2019, becoming the youngest English player to do so since Daniel Sturridge in 2008.
After the match, City manager Pep Guardiola told the media that he expected Foden to be an important Manchester City player "for the next decade."
Over the past three seasons, Foden has made 41 league appearances for Manchester City, making 23 this campaign.
In comparison to his former teammate, Sancho has made 78 league appearances in the past three seasons with Borussia Dortmund, making 32 league appearances this term.
“With Jadon Sancho, he should be applauded for having the strength and character for thinking he doesn’t want to play at City. He knows that he would be playing with top players that would develop him, but he wants to play games.
“He went to the Bundesliga and his reputation has really grown since then. Real credit to him. He’s been a pioneer because now many young players are doing the same.
For Foden, he has long been considered as the heir apparent to David Silva. Even last January, Guardiola said that his team will not buy a new player to replace Silva because they have Foden.
However, looking at the stats conducted last October of footballers who have played the most Premier League minutes by 19 years of age, Foden is perhaps unsurprisingly not near the top of the list.
Wayne Rooney is top with 5,722 minutes, Michael Owen in second and Raheem Sterling in third. Foden is just scraping into the top 200 at 196th with 384 minutes.
With this, Sutton feels that young Premier League players are still not getting the opportunities they deserve like they once did, and feels they should move on if they’re not getting a chance.
“The Bundesliga is a fantastic league and for Sancho it’s common sense. It’s not about the money you earn, these young lads are hungry to establish themselves. Now Premier League clubs have to look at themselves and give these young players opportunities.
“For managers I can understand because they feel if they lose four or five games, they’ll get the sack so it can be a risk at the same time.”
Good mornings start with Gillette” The mornings are a moment of reflection, a moment to prepare to feel your best for the day ahead. Starting your day with a shave gives you the confidence to feel at your best for the day ahead, no matter what is in store.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
