Pep Guardiola has likened Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden's fledgling Manchester City partnership to the world-beating relationship Xavi and Andres Iniesta enjoyed under him at Barcelona.
De Bruyne made his long-awaited return from injury on Sunday after five months out, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute in City's 5-0 FA Cup third-round thrashing of Championship Huddersfield Town.
The Belgian playmaker slotted in behind Foden, who Guardiola moved into a false nine role.
And Guardiola sees no reason why the two of them can't continue to play together. Speaking to reporters after his side's victory at the Etihad Stadium, he said: "Always I am a big fan of the talent; why the talent cannot play together?"
"I don't have an argument. When I arrive in Barcelona, people say Xavi and Iniesta and [Sergio] Busquets cannot play together. Why not? If they are good, intelligent [and] smart, [they] adjust. Normally, we associate [with] the talent that they don't run or don't defend, and this is not true."
However, the City boss stressed that not every match will be suitable for a De Bruyne-Foden combination. He continued: "In some games, [they] can play [together]; in some, we have to struggle a bit; we have to think about it."
Foden bagged a brace as City made the ideal start to their FA Cup defence, with Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku also getting on the scoresheet.
The 2022/23 treble winners return to action on Saturday evening, when they travel to take on Newcastle in the Premier League.
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