Man City 5-0 Burnley: Phil Foden is Pep Guardiola's signature dish and he's finally ready to be served

The same can be said about the meticulous process applied to Phil Foden’s development.

After making his Manchester City debut as a 75th minute substitute back in November 2017, the youngster has mustered a further 63 appearances since and but only seven Premier League starts to speak of.

For the prodigious talent he’s always been described as, that’s precious little playing time to feed off.

What’s even more curious about Manchester City’s measured implementation of the midfielder into their first team set-up is the impression he made on manager Pep Guardiola.

The first time Foden was involved in the senior team was during a 2-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Manchester United when he turned heads instantly.

“It’s a long time since I saw something like this,” Guardiola exclaimed in the aftermath of that first bow, clearly taken aback by the then 17-year-old.

Such is the belief the celebrated Catalan coach has in his young protege that he famously declared him the “most, most, most talented player” he’s ever seen in his managerial career.

Everyone would’ve raised their eyebrows at that one, including Lionel Messi.

But over the past couple of years, Foden has steadily brought some credence to that statement with glimpses of his precocious talent.

His dominant display at home to Burnley on Monday night finally treated the Premier League to far more than the fleeting cameos he’s largely been limited to.

Starting the encounter on the left of a front three, the fluidity of City’s system meant he wasn’t restricted to the flank, instead he drifted inside and was heavily involved as the hosts gradually wore down their opponents. For all of City’s careful prodding though, Burnley’s early resolve was eventually broken by an arrowing strike from Foden in the 22nd minute.

From that point on, the 20-year-old went on to play the role of chief destroyer as Sean Dyche’s side succumbed to a 5-0 rout. Such was his influence that the fact Kevin De Bruyne was omitted from the starting XI was quickly forgotten.

Foden scored a second before he was brought off with 12 minutes to play though current circumstances likely denied him a standing ovation from the Etihad Stadium.

Because aside from his brace, it was also a coming-of-age performance from the Englishman ahead of next summer’s European Championship with the highlight being his brilliantly disguised through ball for Bernardo Silva who squared it for David Silva to score the fourth goal.

Much has been made of Jadon Sancho’s successful decision to leave City for Borussia Dortmund with others following suit, but Foden is at the forefront of the other end of the argument.

Guardiola’s involvement in his development means he hasn’t even experienced a spell on loan which would normally be the logical course of action to afford a promising prospect playing time and fast track his progress.

But where would Foden be presented with minutes that would prepare him for the style City are committed to playing? Barcelona are presumably reluctant to loan out their most gifted youngsters for similar reasons.

By remaining at the club, Foden’s been able to train with world-class players every day, get first-hand input from one of the greatest coaches of all-time and learn directly from the City legend he’s always been touted to succeed; David Silva.

It’s no coincidence that the Spaniard’s impending departure is coming just when Foden is primed to step into the spotlight.

From the very beginning, Guardiola appreciated what he had in the young playmaker and gathered the ingredients to ensure his success.

Players like Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barcelona, Philipp Lahm and Thiago Alcantara at Bayern Munich plus De Bruyne and Silva at City have epitomised Guardiola’s philosophy. But in Foden, the City manager has been allowed a talent of that calibre to mold entirely how he saw fit.

He’s influenced the youngster’s development every step of the way and left his career on a simmer for what seemed like forever to salivating football fans hungry for a taste of Guardiola’s purest creation yet.

The end of the current campaign is but an appetiser for what will be served up next season.

If Pep Guardiola is football’s version of a Michelin star chef, then Phil Foden is his signature dish. Bon Appetit!