Hat trick hero Foden revels in central role for City

At the age of 23 Phil Foden already has a personal trophy cabinet that would be the envy of most clubs throughout their existence and he underlined his growing influence on Manchester City with a superb hat trick in Monday's 3-1 win at Brentford.

In the six years since making his debut as a waif-like 17-year-old, Foden has a Champions League, five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Club World Cup and 31 appearances for England to his name.

Throughout that time he has had spells on the sidelines as City's production line of superstar midfielders took precedence, often leaving him something of a peripheral figure on the flanks. However, this season, in the lengthy absence of Kevin de Bruyne, he has really stepped up to a new level.

City's opponents might be able to stop Erling Haaland from scoring or close down the space for assist king De Bruyne, but there will always be a top-class player somewhere in the team to inflict the damage.

Often playing more centrally, as he did on Monday, he is having more influence, for longer, on games and looking an ever-more accomplished finisher.

His three goals, coming after Neal Maupay had put Brentford ahead, were a masterclass in movement, touch and poise when it mattered most, rewarding manager Pep Guardiola for keeping him in the middle where he dovetailed smoothly with De Bruyne.

"All I set myself is to try to better last year's stats and just try to improve every year - more goals and more assists. I need to keep going and showing this level of performance more often."