Mukasa reveals Phil's words of encouragement

DIVINE Mukasa knew exactly what Phil Foden wanted when the poster boy of the Manchester City academy fizzed a pass into the debutant’s feet early on in the Carabao Cup win at Huddersfield.

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

Foden played the pass with pace, and Mukasa quickly laid it off back to the attacking midfielder, who could stride onto the ball and drill it low into the bottom corner to set City on their way to a 2-0 win against the League One outfit.

It was a night to remember for Mukasa, who turned 18 in August, as he cemented a summer of training with the first team with a competitive debut for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Those give-and-goes with Foden haven't been a regular occurrence on the training pitches at the City Football Academy, but they show an intuitive understanding between the pair that doesn’t come as a surprise, given that Foden has taken the teenager under his wing and talked him through large parts of the game at the Accu Stadium.

"I think he's the best player I've ever played with and such a nice guy as well. He helps me a lot. It's just been a pleasure to play with him," Mukasa said of Foden after the game, stopping to speak to reporters in one of the tight corridors leading from the away dressing room back to the team coach.