Man City 5 Burnley 0: Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez at the double as Guadiola’s side hit top gear before Chelsea clash
NO wonder Leroy Sane wants to go to Bayern Munich this summer.
The Germany international probably fears he will not get in the Manchester City team next season with Phil Foden waiting in the wings.
Pep Guardiola said this weekend the England starlet is one of the players who could step in on the left – and save him a fortune in the transfer market.
And right on cue, Foden produced a dazzling display – scoring twice and having a hand in two more as City ran riot against Burnley once again.
Pep’s have been champions of England for 800 days now – and nobody will be prouder of that than boyhood fan Foden.
That run will come to an end in the next few days but the 20-year-old is clearly in no mood to give it up quietly.
His man of the match performance will also have had Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate purring.
Earlier this month he said he needs to see Foden play more often if he is to get in the senior squad for next summer’s Euros.
On last night’s evidence, it won’t just be the England chief who wants to see more of him.
He pulled Sean Dyche’s men apart for making way towards the end – ironically for the fit again Sane.
Traditionally City have enjoyed playing against Burnley – with the Clarets winning just one of the last 23 meetings in all competitions.
In five games with the Clarets at the Etihad under Guardiola, City have scored 19 goals and conceded only two.
The Clarets were unbeaten in seven league matches prior to lockdown but only named seven players on the bench – most of them youngsters.
Perhaps Sean Dyche was trying to make a point after the Clarets failed to offer short-term extensions to a quartet of players including ex England internationals Joe Hart and Aaron Lennon.
His opposite number Pep Guardiola had no such worries but still made eight changes to the line-up that thumped Arsenal.
It was always going to be a tall order for the visitors – the last Premier League club to return to action after the restart.
Just like against Arsenal last week, City took a while to get into their stride.
They had a glorious chance to go ahead as skipper David Silva slid a pass to team-mate Bernardo who took a touch but then blasted his shot wide.
The Portuguese made amends midway through the half as he picked up the ball from a short corner and rolled it back into the path of Foden.
He took a touch before blasting a low 20 yard shot which Pope got a hand on but could not keep it out as it fizzed into the corner.
City were playing some lovely football and a couple more goals shortly before half-time ended the game as a contest.
Fernandinho’s sweeping cross field pass from the left was taken nonchalantly in his stride by Mahrez on the right wing.
The Algerian cut in, twisted and turned to wrong-foot Charlie Taylor and Ben Mee before thumping a low shot past Pope to make it two.
Once the club’s record signing, he has taken a while to find his feet – but is starting to look like a £60 million player now.
In first half stoppage time he had another one. Foden was involved as he squared for Sergio Aguero but he was challenged by Clarets captain Ben Mee.
A check from VAR showed the former City graduate had just got the man first ahead of the ball – and Andre Marriner changed his decision to a penalty.
Mahrez – whose record from the spot is patchy to say the least – rolled this one low past Pope’s right hand for his second of the night.
The England goalkeeper is in the frame for the Premier League’s Golden Glove this season – but everything seemed to be going past him here.
And five minutes after the re-start there was another as Foden teamed up with Bernardo and his low cross was turned in by Silva.
The Spanish wizard will leave City after 10 glorious years later this summer – in the past five days he has shown he still has plenty to offer.
When you are four goals down, the last thing you want to see is Kevin de Bruyne coming on and he stepped off the bench as he did on the hour.
Typically he was involved in a goal within minutes, setting Bernardo free down the right.
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His low cross was touched on by another sub Gabriel Jesus and Foden’s shot had too much on it for the visitors keeper.
Sane climbed off the bench for his first appearance since a cruciate ligament injury in the Community Shield.
He probably saw enough last night to realise that City will be just fine without him.