Joleon Lescott has praised Manchester City starlet Phil Foden for his football intelligence and has backed the youngster to gain more first-team minutes after the departure of David Silva.
Foden started City's first Premier League games of the season on Monday night and was on the scoresheet in their 3-1 victory over Wolves.
With Silva drawing an end to his 10-year stay in Manchester, there is an expectation that Foden could step into his shoes this season.
Pep Guardiola heaped praise on the 20-year-old for his performance at Molineux, deployed in a right-attacking midfield role.
Having recently made his full England debut, Foden is expected to enjoy a breakthrough season at City despite the wealth of senior competition for places in the team.
Lescott believes it's Foden's football intelligence which has propelled him to become a regular first-team player at such a young age and has backed the midfielder for even more minutes.
"It means making the right decisions at the right time with the abilities you have and knowing the capabilities of your team-mates," Lescott told ManCity.com.
“What people don’t appreciate is his intelligence.
“We can see his ability, we can see his work rate but his football intelligence is second to none. He’ll be up there with the best in the squad.
“He knows where he should be when the ball goes in behind and Raheem is running onto it and he’s there and Raheem could pick him out.
“It’s massive for Phil (playing regularly for City).
“I think every season will be big for him, due to the comparisons with David Silva and the 10 years of dominance he had at the club.
“Whenever Phil plays he is going to be compared to that, with the stature, the left foot and the similarities in the game.
“Arguably this means more to Phil because he is a City fan.”
