When the team news was released an hour before Manchester City's 2-0 FA Cup win against Peterborough United on Tuesday evening, there was a collective sense of disappointment among City fans.
Pep Guardiola selected an incredibly strong side for the trip to fifth round trip to the Championship strugglers, one that included no youth teamers.
However, there was one exciting inclusion. Phil Foden was listed as a midfielder rather than a winger or false nine, giving him a rare opportunity to play the number eight role he excelled in at youth level. He did not disappoint, both when attacking and tracking back.
Here are four of his best moments.
49': Workhorse
In the recent matches against Tottenham and Everton, City's midfield looked slow and vulnerable after losing the ball. One possible explanation for that is that Guardiola decided to play Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne as the eights in front of Rodri, with neither providing the defensive work rate that Bernardo Silva does.
A few minutes into the second half, Foden showed exactly what City's midfield has been lacking recently. A well-constructed Peterborough attack looked destined to end in a goal when the ball was squared to Jorge Grant, who was waiting unmarked 12 yards from goal.
Suddenly Foden appeared out of nowhere to nick the ball away and clear the danger, having just sprinted half the length of the field to help out - the sort of lung-bursting heroics Pablo Zabaleta would have been proud to call his own.
We all know how good Foden is going forward, but putting in those defensive hard yards is a vital component for any top-class midfielder.
65': Outside of the foot
After a moment of Riyad Mahrez genius gave City the lead, Foden stepped things up a notch and strung together three incredible passes in three minutes.
The first was a majestic feat of technical skill and awareness. Receiving a fizzed pass from Jack Grealish, the 21-year-old didn't have to look to know his next move.
His first touch controlled the ball and allowed him to swivel 180 degrees, his second teed himself up and the third was a flat, arrowed pass out to Mahrez with the outside of his left foot. It was one of the most aesthetically pleasing passes you are likely to see this season.
Nothing came of the attack, but it was clear signal of things to come from Foden.
66': Through the channel
Foden's vision is second-to-none, a quality he perhaps doesn't get to showcase as much as he'd like to when stuck out on the wing.
After collecting the ball from Joao Cancelo in the right-sided number eight position, Foden opened up his body to indicate to the defence that he was going to switch the play to the opposite flank.
That subtle disguise was enough to draw the left centre-back slightly out of position, and was the signal for Gabriel Jesus to make a run in behind.
Foden found the Brazilian with a perfectly weighted pass that wrong-footed the defence, but Steven Benda made a good save.
67': Lionel Messi
Jack Grealish scored the first FA Cup goal of his career to put City 2-0 up, and it was his England teammate and close friend who set him up.
We are going to be talking about Foden's pass for the rest of the season, if not longer. Receiving the ball from Aymeric Laporte just inside the City half, Phil took one touch to control and swivel and another to set himself before finding Grealish inside the Peterborough box with a pin-point floated delivery.
Grealish's touch and finish were sublime, but the vision and technique that Foden showed with his pass were the main talking point afterwards.
"Just like [Lionel] Messi weren't it, his pass?" Grealish chuckled when speaking to ITV about Foden's assist. This comparison only came about because the pair were watching a compilation of the great man's passing pre-match on the City coach, but it was a moment of class that belonged in such company.
It showed where Foden's future role in Guardiola's side should be. The City academy graduate is an excellent winger and false nine, but it's as an all-action number eight where the true depth of his talent is revealed.
Would you like to see Phil Foden play as a number eight more from now on? Follow our City Is Ours writer Alex Brotherton on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
