Pep Guardiola hailed Phil Foden's performance against Dinamo Zagreb after the teenage played a vital role in the 4-1 win in his 50th Manchester City appearance.
Foden was involved in all three of Gabriel Jesus' goals and then got on the scoresheet himself to round off an encouraging night for the Blues.
Guardiola again reiterated his pre-match claim that Foden has to improve in his work off the ball, but he was delighted with the threat the 19-year-old carried in an attacking sense.
For the final quarter Guardiola moved Foden to a role on the left of a front three and he revealed he wanted to get him as close to the opposition area as possible, where he believes he is at his most dangerous.
"He was so good. I think he’s a player who is close to the box more dangerous than away from the box, he still has to learn a bit away from the box," Guardiola said of Foden's performance.
"When he played close to the box, attack central defenders, he’s incredibly dangerous, he played really well."
Foden's dribbling ability stood out as he regularly carried City forward against Dinamo Zagreb, particularly with one surging run that helped create the equaliser.
His ability to play that way is unusual for an English footballer, although Guardiola believes the template of young English midfielders is beginning to change.
"The way you play in England is a bit different [to Spain] but now young players at Chelsea, Mason Mount, are quite similar. One on one, creating more spaces.
"England have an incredible generation for the young players, the next decade England has incredible players and it’s good for the country."
