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Foden needs to go out on loan: Sutton

Manchester City's England Under-21 playmaker Phil Foden should go out on loan, says former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton.

Foden, 18, has agreed a 5½-year contract extension through to 2024 with the English Premier League champions, the club announced on Monday.

The Stockport-born teen, a lifelong City fan, has been with the Citizens since the age of eight and made his debut in November 2017 as a substitute against Feyenoord.

A month later, Foden became the youngest English player to start a Champions League game when he was named in the team to face Shakhtar Donetsk.

He made his EPL debut as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur later that month.

Foden, who has played 23 times for City in all competitions, last season won a League Cup medal as a substitute in the victory over Arsenal and became the youngest player to receive an EPL winners' medal in May, reported Reuters.

But, what he needs now is regular playing time to aid his development, Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Does he need to go out on loan? Because he's not getting the game time.

"He's not had a Premier League start this season."

Sutton then referred to Borussia Dortmund's English starlet Jadon Sancho, 18, whose stock has risen since joining the German club.

"Sancho is the good example in terms of what he has done, taking it upon himself, gone to the Bundesliga, got game time, he's in Gareth Southgate's plans.

"I think Foden is good enough to warrant a starting place in most EPL teams, so therefore he needs to get that experience and it doesn't look like, with the greatest respect to him, he's going to get that at City with the players in front of him."

However, City's director of football Txiki Begiristain insisted that the Etihad remains the "best place possible to develope as a player".

Begiristain said on the club website: "Under (manager) Pep (Guardiola) and with the players we have here around him, (Foden) is in the best place possible to develop as a player."

Foden first made headlines in October 2017 when he scored twice for England in the Under-17 World Cup final against Spain and won the Golden Ball as the country became champions.

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