Swansea boss Steve Cooper discusses Phil Foden's evolution since their days together with England's U17s ahead of FA Cup tie at Man City; "It's always a good thing having ability and potential, but it's another thing turning it into action, and he's doing that at the moment," said Cooper
Tuesday 9 February 2021 08:04, UK
Phil Foden, the boy who always has a ball at his feet.
That's how Steve Cooper knows him. Once coach to the Manchester City midfielder with England's U17s, now on opposite sides as the Swansea boss prepares his team to face the Premier League leaders in the FA Cup on Wednesday.
Foden was the star of Cooper's England team that lifted the U17 World Cup in 2017, scoring goals reminiscent of his strike in Sunday's 4-1 statement win over champions Liverpool at Anfield.
'The Stockport Iniesta' has come a long way since his time under Cooper and is wholeheartedly living up to the hype. But, according to the Swansea boss, Foden's success was never in doubt - at least, not for those that know him.
"It's brilliant to see him doing so well - he has been for a while now," said Cooper. "He's a fantastic talent, brilliant lad, and it's lovely to see him showcasing it at the highest level.
"For the guys that have worked with him, it's not a surprise to see him doing so well because he is a super talent. At the moment, Phil is getting a particular amount of attention and rightly so.
"He's a good lad, he loves football and always has a ball at his feet.
"Whether he is in his hotel room, in the corridor or out on the training pitch you very rarely see him without a ball, or messing about with something he can play football with."
Cooper has been amazed by Foden's evolution from promising young talent to leading man. He also knows the 20-year-old is in the best place possible to continue his footballing education, under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola.
"It's always a good thing having ability and potential, but it's another thing turning it into action, and he's doing that at the moment," Cooper continued.
"When you see talents like this at a young age, you work with them, and you hope that they can progress and get opportunities and then take those opportunities and flourish.
"It seems to me that from the outset that he's doing that, he's obviously played in big games and that's amazing to see.
"He's under brilliant stewardship with Pep. He will be getting the best work possible."
Guardiola's slow and measured integration of Foden into the first team was criticised last season with calls for him to get improved opportunities at City or be allowed to leave on loan in January.
The City boss was adamant Foden would not leave on loan and has proved his doubters wrong. But it raises the question: did Cooper ever try and use his connections to get Foden to Swansea?
"If there was a chance I would have dived in with two feet, don't worry about that," he said. "I don't think Phil was ever too far away from the City team.
"I think if we ever did ask the question we would have got a swift reply."
Cooper will certainly be hoping Foden doesn't have the ball at his feet too much in Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie at the Etihad. Whether Swansea can keep him away from it is another question.
