Guardiola hails Foden after scoring a brace in the Bournemouth thrashing

Despite the strong start to a season,

has had a tough time of it lately, finding it hard to get into the Manchester City starting lineup. However, the English starlet scored a brace, drawing praise from manager Pep Guardiola.

"He scored a goal, he was good, he is important. We need Phil, his work ethic. He made a goal and assist. He’s so important, step by step he will be back,"

Guardiola said.

Guardiola admitted that Foden had struggled to break into the first team after the World Cup, apparently due to an ankle injury.

"I saw other players better than him at times after the World Cup. He struggled with his ankle after the World Cup, a lot. He played an incredible effort, playing with pain and arrived at the moment when he said: ‘Pep, I cannot anymore’, so he had to rest and recover. We gave him a week or two weeks off, and after that Riyad was in his best time of the season and Jack made a step forward."

Guardiola added.

This marked Foden’s 200th game for

in which he scored and provided an assist.

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