'We must be patient with Foden'

The 18-year-old played just 44 minutes of Premier League football last season, but many feel the recent injury to Kevin De Bruyne has opened the door for the youngster to feature more regularly this campaign.

Speaking to 'Sky Sports' ahead of Sunday's game against Huddersfield, the City boss urged patience with the starlet.

"Of course Phil is special, but he is a young player so we have to be patient," he explained.

"His behaviour is important. On and off the pitch he is excellent, that is the first step to becoming a good player. He will play a lot of minutes and have games to play and go step by step. We cannot forget he is 18 so he is young.

"Be patient, work hard, listen and see what happens, we will help him to be a better player."

Guardiola admits that De Bruyne's absence comes as a major blow, with City expected to be without their talisman for up to three months.

"We cannot deny how important Kevin is," he said. "We are going to miss him but we have to help him. It's time for him to rest a bit after a tough season, have a bit more holiday and then start to prepare to come back and think about the players we have fit to win games."