Pep Guardiola has doubled down on his recent praise of Phil Foden by hailing this current campaign as “his most influential season” yet following his second career hat-trick and man-of-the-match performance on Monday night.
Guardiola had already described Foden’s role in Manchester City’s form over recent months as “decisive” prior to the 3-1 win over Brentford, but his incredible showing away at the G-Tech Community Stadium has only seen him heap further praise on the 23-year-old.
Although Man City did concede the first goal around the 20-minute mark straight from a goal kick, the number 47 did manage to equalise just before half-time to get his side firing.
The Stockport-born City and England forward then went on to grab a header for his second — the only one he’s scored for the Blues since his first goal against Spurs back in 2019 — before eventually making it three thanks to a quick lay-off from Haaland. It was the Phil Foden show and Pep loved every minute.
"I think he's playing the best season since we've been together" 👏
Pep Guardiola had nothing but praise for Phil Foden's performances for Manchester City 🔵 pic.twitter.com/NXlvteG3R9
As you can see, while the Catalan coach has never made a secret of his love of Foden and huge faith in his talent, so many goal contributions and trophies later, and it now looks like the talk of him being a ‘promising young player’ has long since shifted into a senior star enjoying the best football of his career.
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Recently stating that he thinks the local lad now “understands the game a little bit more”, it’s clear that the 53-year-old now trusts him to help run things just as much as the other leaders on the pitch, even going so far as to say, “He will take over from Kevin and Bernardo in the future – that is going to happen”.
One of the most impressive things in Pep’s eyes is also that “he can play in five different positions”, adding that his ability to arrive both in the 18 and six-yard box continues to improve, playing both “simple and aggressive” as well as becoming an even more “clever runner” as time goes on.
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As for Foden himself, while he confessed he likes playing “anywhere in the middle”, he insisted that he’s just happy in this current run and doing whatever he needs to for the team, having now registered eight goals and seven assists with half a season still left to play. Some return, that is.
⭐️ Player of the Match, @ManCity’s Phil Foden 98 touches 78/82 passes completed 34 off the ball runs (most in match) 6 shots, 4 on target 2nd career hat-trick – Haaland & Son are the only other players to score multiple PL hat-tricks since start of last season pic.twitter.com/qaVS3DnNJG
Now boasting regular minutes for his boyhood club and making an impact week in and week out, it seems to just be a case of remaining consistent for the youngster and further cementing his place in one of the most elite starting lineups most players could ever hope to compete for.
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Moreover, as the pundits in the Monday Night Football studio were already licking their lips at, the prospect of players like Foden, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in a midfield three is one that will be very exciting for England fans in general ahead of Euro 2024. Where do you think his best position is?
You can watch the highlights from City’s away win against Brentford and Foden’s hat-trick down below:
Phil Foden’s hat-trick leads City to victory over Brentford.
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Manchester City (via Instagram)
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Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Salford RLFC issue statement as head coach Mike Grady departs after less than three months
Danny Jones
Salford Rugby League Football Club have issued an official statement following the departure of head coach Mike Grady, who has left the role after less than three months in the job.
It has been insisted that this is not a sacking, but rather a joint decision to terminate his contract.
Grady, who took up the mantle at the start of this project following the end of the Salford Red Devils era, was only appointed on 5 January.
He had previously been in charge of the Red Devils’ women’s side over the past couple of years, but moved over to hopefully lead this new era forward.
As you can see, the club confirmed in a statement that they and Grady have “mutually agreed to part ways due to changes in his personal circumstances.”
They go on to write: “We are forever indebted to Mike for his unwavering commitment to the club. We want to thank him for all his hard work since taking on the role as Head Coach in very challenging circumstances in December.”
Also sharing a comment from former player turned CEO, Ryan Brierley, he said: “Mike came in as Coach at a time when the club had just come through one of its toughest times with the double impact of relegation and liquidation.
“He was willing to roll up his sleeves and bring stability to the club on the pitch. The fact we were able to field a team against Oldham in January, after only three weeks, speaks volumes about his commitment and determination. To beat Hunslet at home only four weeks later was a fantastic achievement.
“Mike will always be remembered as the person [who] strived and achieved the objective of sending out the first Salford team of this new era. A team running onto the pitch, after so much hard work, gave us all something to cheer about. We also remember how well he successfully guided our women’s team to third and fourth place finishes in the Championship.”
Sharing his own farewell message, he went on to add: “I want to thank Ryan for the opportunity to represent this great club and fan base. What we created at the start of the year was pretty special, and I’m proud to have built that.
“I’m happy to leave the club in a better place than I found it and wish the club all the best for the future.” Salford RLFC have already assured that they are now recruiting for his replacement.
Danny Jones -
6th February 2024 
