Phil Foden says his Manchester City career so far has been "a dream" and has paid tribute to the guidance senior players like David Silva and Vincent Kompany have given him this season. The 18-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the club's brightest youth products for years, enjoying double the number of Premier League appearances he made in 2017-18 and regularly featuring in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up in cup competitions. Foden's rise to prominence has been rapid but he is keeping himself grounded with the help of City's experienced old heads, who have been on hand with words of wisdom while he hones his game. "It's a dream," Foden told the Daily Mail. "I've been a City fan from young and I've watched these players growing up as well. To play with them and see what they do every day, to learn off them - it's special. I just enjoy it every day, being there and learning from them. "David is always giving me advice, it's one little thing. He says just to know your time on the ball and things like that. He will always help you out. "He'll say 'Oh, you could have set the ball there instead of turning'. It's just listening to him. Everyone is good with that; Vincent Kompany is the same. "I liked to watch Spanish teams at home when I was younger. I don't try to copy anyone but I like to learn from people." With the likes of Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne ahead of him in the pecking order of midfielders at City, Foden could be forgiven for looking enviously at the likes of Jadon Sancho, who left the club at 17 and is playing regular first-team football for Borussia Dortmund. But the Stockport-born teenager, who will be a key player for England Under-21s at the European Championship in June, is confident he can make his mark at the Etihad Stadium. "Hopefully I bring something different to the team but there is a lot of quality in every position," said Foden. "People say you're a bit different and it's a good thing so I'm just trying to help the team and do well for them. I've been working in the gym quite hard, just little things, not too much. "You don't need to be too big as a footballer, you just need that little bit on you."

Wayne Rooney believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the only candidate to take the full-time manager's job at Manchester United, while also stating he hopes Manchester City win the Premier League over Liverpool this season. Solskjaer has revitalised United's form and morale since taking over on a caretaker basis following Jose Mourinho's departure in December. Although consecutive defeats to Arsenal in the Premier League and Wolves in the FA Cup have dented their campaign, United have got themselves back into the top-four race and the quarter-finals of the Champions League under their former striker. No decision on a permanent appointment has yet been announced, with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino still linked with the job, but Rooney thinks Solskjaer is the obvious favourite. "He has gone in with simplicity and has brought belief back to the fans," United's record goalscorer told talkSPORT. "He has made the place enjoyable again to go into work every day. The staff around Carrington are enjoying working there again and that does rub off. When you see the staff happy around the players, it makes it a happy environment to work in. "He is doing a fantastic job and I'm sure he is the only candidate for Manchester United to take that job and it will be great to see him get it and bring some of the players he wants to bring in and keep moving the club forward." It has been another disappointing Premier League campaign for United overall, with leaders Liverpool 18 points ahead of them and locked in a title fight with champions Manchester City. Given his United and Everton links, Rooney admits it would be tough to see Jurgen Klopp's side win the trophy. "It's a great reason to be out of the country when those two are going head to head for the title!" said the DC United man. "I hope Man City get over the line before Liverpool. I couldn't bear to see them win it, it would be a nightmare for any Evertonian. "I remember in 2005 they won the Champions League and they're still talking about it now, so it would be another 10 or 15 years of that if they win the title!"

Manchester United, Juventus and Liverpool have been offered hope in the pursuit of Joao Felix, with Benfica sporting director Rui Costa conceding that “certain players cannot be held back”. The 19-year-old forward has emerged as one of the most sought-after talents in European football. His exploits in his native Portugal have thrust him onto the transfer radar of sides in England, Italy and beyond. Felix’s current contract does include a €120 million (£103m/$136m) release clause, which could prove a sticking point to some in the pursuit of a player with limited experience, but it is considered to be only a matter of time before a big-money move is made. Costa admits that it will become impossible for Benfica to retain the services of a player with such potential, telling Tuttosport: “Someone called him my heir. Or the new Kaka. The truth is that Felix is only Felix. “He has an extraordinary sense of play and he has a rare ability, he can guess what will happen in front of the goal. He is a modern number 10, a second striker with a remarkable sense of goal, he scored 10 goals in the league. “€120m release clause? We will try to keep him as long as possible, this applies to Felix as it does to all the others. “This is the club's policy, then we will see why we are aware that the clauses exist and that certain players cannot be held back indefinitely in Portugal.” Another of those to be generating transfer talk at Benfica is highly-rated centre-half Ruben Dias. The 21-year-old is already a senior international with Portugal and, like Felix, is said to be attracting admiring glances from Juventus and Manchester United as both sides seek long-term solutions to questions at the heart of their respective defensive units. Costa added on Dias: “If he will go away I don't know. We would like to keep him still and Ruben knows that here he would have a lot of attention. “The club needs to sell to make cash. We will see how the summer market will develop.”

Manchester City have been urged to make a move for Tanguy Ndombele, with Joleon Lescott considering the Lyon midfielder to be the “ideal Fernandinho replacement”. With a Brazil international now 33 years of age, those at the Etihad Stadium need to start piecing together contingency plans. A suitable successor to a key component in Pep Guardiola’s side will be required at some stage, and various options have been mooted. Former City defender Lescott believes a raid on the ranks in Ligue 1 would be the best option, with there a 22-year-old at Lyon who would slip seamlessly into a holding role in Manchester. “Tanguy Ndombele could be an ideal Fernandinho replacement at Man City when the time comes,” Lescott told Sportingbet of a player the Blues have targeted in the past. “I think he has all the potential to go on to become a great player and achieve great things. I think players in Fernandinho’s position tend to get better with experience, but I think Ndombele is a player that could be a good fit.” Another of those said to be in City’s sights is Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Lescott backing a swoop for the talented 21-year-old. He said: “Wan-Bissaka is an exciting young player with his career ahead of him. He’s certainly impressed for Crystal Palace this season and inevitably, as with any young player performing well, some top teams will be linked with him. “Wan-Bissaka looks to have the attributes of a player that could go on to play for a top club. I enjoy watching him as he is a full-back who enjoys defending more than attacking. He enjoys a 1v1 challenge and that’s an excellent quality.” While talking up moves for two players of considerable potential, Lescott is not convinced that Guardiola needs to target the proven qualities of Real Madrid playmaker Isco. The Spain international was frozen out at the Santiago Bernabeu under Santiago Solari, sparking exit talk, but has returned to favour with Zinedine Zidane back at the helm and may no longer need a switch. Lescott said of the 26-year-old: “As with any player not getting game time, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Isco is unhappy being left out at Real Madrid and he would be a good addition to Man City’s squad. “He’s an excellent player that still has so much potential that Guardiola would work to develop. However, Isco would have to accept he wouldn’t be a guaranteed starter in a similar way that [Riyad] Mahrez has had to adapt to this season. “Man City will be looking to strengthen their squad in the summer, but it has to be the right player to fit seamlessly into the team’s style of play and the operation they have set up there. “The owners have created this format over the past 10 years so Guardiola and all of the players need to fit into this system to achieve global dominance for Man City.”

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has quipped that Pep Guardiola travels to see Sheikh Mansour and shows him videos of a transfer target to get the green light to make a big-money signing for Manchester City. Guardiola was Bayern head coach for three years from 2013 to 2016, winning three Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokal trophies, and is seemingly still in touch with Hoeness. And the 67-year-old has now claimed that the Spaniard has told him that he flies over to see City owner Sheikh Mansour when he is eager to push through a big transfer, showing him video clips of the player in action. "My friend Pep told me what happens when he wants a player who costs €100 million. He gets some videos of the player and flies to see the Sheikh," Hoeness told MMM. "Then there is an opulent meal, you look over the videos and the Sheikh transfers the sum [needed to complete the deal]. The next day the Sheikh turns the gas on a few millimetres further and he has the money back. "I'm proud that in such cases we [Bayern] aren't going to the credit department but the bank's fixed-income department [instead]." City are expected to be active in the summer transfer window, with the Premier League champions looking to strengthen three to four positions. Guardiola's side are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Matthijs de Ligt, while Ben Chilwell is also being assessed as a potential option at left-back. City and their spending has been under scrutiny in recent years, while they've come under the microscope of UEFA after Der Spiegel and MediaPart, in conjunction with Football Leaks, alleged they broke a number of rules in a bid to circumvent Financial Fair Play regulations. European football's governing body announced earlier in March that its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is investigating the Premier League leaders, with there being the suggestion they could face a transfer ban. Guardiola, though, has remained unfazed at the prospect, telling reporters: "I am not the right guy to talk about what the club says," he said. "They [the owners] don't call me and explain what they are doing. "I am concerned about what I have to do, I cannot speak every day about this. What is going to happen is going to happen." When asked if City's squad would be good enough as it is should a transfer ban be enforced, the Spaniard responded: "Of course. It is good, it's really good." Next up for City after the international break is an away meeting with Fulham, with the champions currently second in the Premier League table, two points behind Liverpool although with a game in hand.