Phil Foden has surprised Pep Guardiola with his fitness levels after arriving for Manchester City's pre-season tour in Asia.
The England under-21 international flew to join the rest of the squad in Hong Kong ahead of their game with Kitchee SC on Wednesday having been given holiday time following the Under-21 European Championships.
And the 19-year-old has already made a good impression on his manager.
"He was one month on holidays and already I saw him so fit," Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference. "Like Raheem they don't need too long to feel good. Their body shape and constitution is so good. He will be fit quickly - there's no problem and I'm pretty sure that during the season they are going to help us."
Foden made 13 appearance in the league last season and Guardiola is confident the midfielder can continue to compete with the other midfielders for more minutes next season.
"Like Raheem said, he plays in position where we have Gundogan, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Bernardo can play there," Guardiola said. "It's not easy for anyone, they know it. When we get to the tournaments they compete with each other but we know his quality, he will have had his minutes and we'll be in the top level like he was last season."
