Agbonlahor lambasts Phil Foden after Man City deal agreed
Gabby Agbonlahor believes Pep Guardiola is right to drop both Phil Foden and Joao Cancelo this season after their poor form at Man City.
The former Aston Villa striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insists Guardiola can’t risk playing out-of-form players while attempting to catch Arsenal at the top of the table.
Both Foden and Cancelo have played far less football than they would have anticipated this season, with the duo playing just 1,047 and 1,278 minutes respectively in the Premier League.
Both have gone from regular starters to squad players this season, and Guardiola hinted that body language was key to his decision to leave them on the bench.
“Lately, as I get older, I mainly look at the body language. In the training sessions and everything,” the Man City boss told reporters.
Foden signed a new five-year contract worth around £78million in total with Man City back in October, but has played just two full 90-minute matches in the Premier League since penning the deal.
Speaking to Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury, Agbonlahor said: “Neither have been in their best form.
“Since Foden signed that new contract in October he’s not been the same since.
“Cancelo has also been a shadow of himself.
“Pep has no time to mess about with players underperforming while he’s trying to chase Arsenal at the top of the table.
“There are so many players at the club and many are doing well – Rico Lewis, Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez are all in the team based on form.
“If you’re not playing well you’re going to sit on the bench.“
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