Rio Ferdinand has expressed his disbelief at the possibility of Phil Foden joining an elite group of players by winning the Premier League this season.
Manchester City have won nine league matches in a row to take control of the title race, with Arsenal ’s four-game winless run opening the door for them. Pep Guardiola’s side are a point clear of their rivals with a game in hand and are therefore heavy favourites to lift the trophy at the end of the month.
City are gunning for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons under Guardiola, with Liverpool in 2019/20 the only side to break their stranglehold on the trophy. A core group of City players have been involved in all four of their previous successes and are aiming for a fifth.
Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva and Ederson – and Riyad Mahrez, who won his first with Leicester – are all on the brink of winning a fifth. But it is Foden whose achievement will stand out in particular due to his youth, with the attacking midfielder only turning 23 on the final day of the season on May 28.
Ferdinand was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame earlier this week and has been reflecting on the modern day greats. Asked on his FIVE YouTube channel which current players he thinks will receive the accolade one day he said: “Kevin De Bruyne is the first name everyone is mentioning.
“ Arsene Wenger mentioned him last night when he was asked [about current players joining the Hall of Fame] and I agree. I think Mohamed Salah will end up in there. Erling Haaland … He can go in there after just one season! Haaland could jump in there right now and be comfortable.
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“Who’s a young player who I think will end up in there? Phil Foden. Did you know that Foden, potentially at the end of this season, if Man City win the Premier League… he will have five titles. He’s 23 years old! It’s a disgrace, an absolute disgrace.”
Foden will equal the tally of two City legends if he reaches five titles, with Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero on that number. John Terry won five over his 19-year Chelsea career, while a whole host of Manchester United stars have achieved the feat.
They are Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra, Andy Cole, Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher and Nemanja Vidic. Ferdinand himself chalked up six – the same number as David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Phil Neville.
City host Sam Allardyce’s Leeds this weekend before matches against Everton, Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford in the Premier League. They also have a two-legged Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and the FA Cup final against Manchester United on their horizon.
