Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has showered praise on Phil Foden as the latter looks to rediscover his best self in sky blue under Enzo Maresca.
Phil Foden has received the ultimate compliment from former club and country teammate Kyle Walker.
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Foden scored his first goal for City in 307 days during the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday, before adding a hat-trick in the 5-1 UEFA Champions League victory over AEK Athens on Tuesday night.
The 26-year-old forward has scored four goals across the two games, with Manchester City preparing to travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
The run of form comes against the backdrop of an independent commission's guilty verdict on 114 of 115 charges and the club's subsequent comprehensive appeal against the same.
Manchester City's only defeat of the 2026-27 season so far came against Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium last week, a 4-2 result, and Enzo Maresca's side have won both games since.
Foden is probably the best I've ever seen technically, says Walker
The last week has seen genuine promise of Phil Foden returning to his best form for Manchester City after a stop-start two seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden's goals against Ipswich Town and AEK Athens came in a spell where Maresca has used him in the front line, including as a false nine against the Greek side, as City look for solutions to deal with Antoine Semenyo's absence and a challenging fixture schedule.
Speaking in an appearance on talkSPORT, Walker was asked about his former team-mate and gave his view on the forward's ability and his place in the England squad.
"Technical ability, Phil Foden is probably the best I've ever seen," Walker said. "I've not had the pleasure to play with [Lionel] Messi, but I've been on the field with Messi.
"But for God-given talent, what Phil Foden has, it's unbelievable what he can do with a football. I always revert back to, if Phil Foden plays like he does for Man City, he obviously gets into the England team."
A return to form for Foden ahead of Aston Villa
Foden ended his 307-day wait for a goal in the win over Ipswich Town, a match in which Erling Haaland also scored twice. Zian Flemming added a late penalty for the visitors, but the Blues held on to take all three points and remain top of the Premier League.
On Tuesday night, Foden scored after a first-half one-two with Rico Lewis, finished first time into the top left corner from another Lewis pass, and completed his hat-trick by tapping in a cross from substitute Ryan McAidoo with under 15 minutes remaining.
Rayan Cherki also scored Manchester City's fourth goal of the evening after a Foden cut-back, as the hosts beat AEK Athens 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League.
After the match against AEK Athens, Maresca praised Foden as being among the finest English players in the game and Foden added he still has work to do to get back to his best level, and that he believes he is heading in the right direction.
The forward admitted that he wants to keep working hard for Maresca and the team, as he looks to score more regularly for Manchester City this season.
Semenyo is ruled out for around eight weeks with an injury suffered against Ipswich Town, with Maresca saying the forward is expected to return around December and that the scan result was better than first feared.
The absence leaves Maresca without one of his attacking options for the next two months, with Foden, Cherki and Jeremy Doku among the players available to feature in the front line.
Haaland appeared uncomfortable late in the win over Ipswich Town and missed Manchester City's training session before the AEK Athens game.
With Maresca wary of fatigue among attackers who've played regularly for club and country in recent months, the City manager could give Foden a third successive start against Aston Villa on Saturday.