Pep Guardiola has revealed the reason for omitting Phil Foden from Man City’s starting XI against Burton Albion.
Guardiola took the surprise decision to name the 18-year-old as a substitute against Nigel Clough’s League One side in Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg.
City went on to win 9-0, with Foden coming off the bench in the second half to score with one of his first touches.
After seeing other rising stars Brahim Diaz and Jadon Sancho leave the club in recent times due to a lack of first team opportunities, Foden’s omission cast further questions over Guardiola’s willingness to provide a pathway to City’s brightest prospects.
But the Catalan insisted it was more important to get minutes for David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne – who are both working their way back to full fitness following injuries – even in a game City were overwhelming favourites to win.
“David Silva needs minutes because the last two weeks, three weeks he was injured and Kevin as well,” said Guardiola. “That’s why I decide - but after 10-15 minutes of the second half Phil was in there.”
Guardiola claimed beforehand he would not give up on his pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple, even if it meant jeopardising City’s chances of winning the biggest prizes.
And he underlined his determination to reach the final by naming a team that included Kyle Walker, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus, as well as Silva and De Bruyne.
“We took it seriously,” he said. “That’s the most important thing for these games.
“We played seriously. Scored the first goal quickly.
“We wanted to travel to Burton with the biggest advantage possible. We’re going to play a lot from the second team and those who don’t get many minutes (in the second leg). We have a bit of a break now that week to prepare for other competitions.
“We have a tough, tough job around the corner against Wolves. I know what they have done, not just in the cup (against Liverpool) in the last game. Especially in the Premier League against big contenders, they always take a result, so it will be a tough game.”
