Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes 22-year-old star has the ability to play in the ‘Lionel Messi role'

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Phil Foden can play in the same position that Lionel Messi occupies on the pitch. The Spanish boss praised the England international's versatility ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League encounter against RB Leipzig on Wednesday (23 February).

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne will miss the clash in Germany due to illness. Insisting that Foden can step up in the middle of the park in the Belgian's absence, Guardiola said (via Football365):

“He [Foden] can play there, still I have the feeling he’s still young, some maturity [is required] to understand what happens in the middle to read what happens. When you play [on the wing], you are moving the right, do these kinds of things, in the middle many things happen and you have to read what happens to react properly. And still, he’s young. The skills he can do it, absolutely."

The Spaniard hailed Foden for his performance in Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest over the weekend (18 February), likening his playstyle to that of Lionel Messi. He said:

"The action he did in Nottingham, like shooting and putting the balls in for Erling [Haaland], is the position for Messi when attacking in that period, it’s perfect for Phil. Phil is really good doing that, in the pockets, in the right like Kevin plays."

He added:

"But it’s not just that, sometimes you have to read when the ball is left, right, when to take positions, when you drop. Sometimes when you play outside, it’s easier to do these kinds of things but with time he will do it. It’s important he can play four or five positions as I’ve said many, many times.”

"They need to look after them" - Former Manchester City defender calls on referees to 'protect' Arsenal star amid Lionel Messi comparisons

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has urged Premier League officials to offer protection to Gunners winger Bukayo Saka. The former Manchester City left-back believes the England international deserves the same treatment as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Following Arsenal's 4-2 victory over Aston Villa on 18 February, Zinchenko said (via GOAL):

“Bukayo is an unbelievable player, all the full-backs from the other teams they know he’s so dangerous, so they try to provoke him, tackle him and the referees should know this. We can speak about [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Neymar and players like this. The referees need to protect this kind of player."

The former Manchester City defender added:

“Apart from Bukayo, we have other forward players who are so dangerous and the referees need to be careful, they need to look after them of course.”