Micah Richards has revealed what he believes the difference is between England stars Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.
The duo both came through the academy at Manchester City, but whilst Foden was patient and eventually got his opportunity in the first team, Palmer took the decision to leave his boyhood club.
Palmer made the switch to Chelsea on deadline day in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth £42.5m and has taken the Premier League by storm.
Richards on the difference between Palmer and Foden
The duo were the two standout players in the league last season as they won the Premier League Player and Young Player of the Year awards respectively.
Palmer scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in his breakout season, whilst Foden scored 19 goals and got eight assists, but he contributed massively to the winning the title which would have gone in his favour.
This season is a different story so far and Foden has struggled to replicate his form and has just a single assist from ten appearances in the league this season.
Cole Palmer shrugs at full time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Palmer has 16 goal contributions in 15 games this season. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Palmer on the other hand is going from strength to strength and scored twice against Tottenham on Sunday to take his tally to 11 goals and six assists from 15 appearances.
Maresca revealed after the Spurs game that Palmer wasn’t a normal player and Richards has shared what he feels the difference is between the two Englishmen.
“The difference between Palmer and Foden is that Palmer can do it in any team and any position,” he told The Rest Is Football.
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It’s hard to argue with that as Palmer has shown he’s very comfortable on the right as well as centrally, whilst he has also shown he can perform for England, which Foden has struggled to do.
They are clearly both top players, but right now it feels like Palmer has moved ahead of Foden and City might now be wishing they hadn’t been so hasty in allowing him to leave.