Richard Buxton: City tyro Phil Foden steps out of the shadows

Replacing greatness has proved a near-impossible task for Manchester City in recent years.

Vincent Kompany's departure last summer led to a season of endless soul-searching.

No one appears capable of stepping into the imposing void the Belgian left at the heart of defence.

The impending loss of David Silva will be felt just as sorely. For close to a decade, the dazzling presence of "El Mago" at the Etihad Stadium has offered a tough act to follow.

But, in Phil Foden, the reigning English Premier League champions have a ready-made successor.

Given a rare start under Pep Guardiola, the 19-year-old put in a Man-of-the-Match display in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the League Cup final yesterday morning (Singapore time).

As City find themselves in the dock over alleged financial doping, the teenager offered a timely reminder of the value of homegrown talent.

City's talent factory has historically been among the more prolific in English football, with the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Kieran Trippier coming through their youth system.

Foden will be hoping to join his more illustrious predecessors soon.

At Wembley, he stepped out of the shadows and underlined his credentials to be Silva's immediate replacement.

Traits which saw the former Spain international swooned over by sky-blue masses were all on display as Foden ran Villa ragged while also contributing to City's opener.

In spite of limited outings under Guardiola, the teenager demonstrated all the qualities that his boss continues to hold dear, regularly demanding the ball while also using it selflessly.

Few would have begrudged him for seizing the chance to live out a childhood dream of scoring at Wembley when Rodri picked him out at the far post.

Instead, Foden trusted those around him by immediately heading the ball to Sergio Aguero who produced an instinctive finish for their first goal.

Patience has been a virtue for the Stockport-born midfielder and typified by the statistic that he has now won a major piece of silverware for every 270 minutes of average playing time.

But it goes far deeper than merely biding time with his boyhood club.

When City were seeking to replace Kompany, Foden found himself posing similarly searching questions.

He was not given a fair chance to prove himself at last year's European Under-21 Championship, with coach Aidy Boothroyd fully utilising him only in a dead-rubber fixture, after England had crashed out in the group stages.

For both club and country, he appeared destined to become little more than a peripheral figure.

Boothroyd's faith in Foden may have wavered, but Guardiola stayed true to his principles.

Cultivating the precocious talent at his disposal has already yielded more tangible benefits than his international counterpart's confusing approach of the previous 12 months.

The Catalan remains one of the greatest advocates of youth development; having risen through the ranks at Barcelona and subsequently utilised it for his own success-laden spell.

Foden may never scale the same heights, either individually or collectively, as La Masia's golden generation.

Even players of his incredibly high technical ability have struggled to emulate a crop that boasts Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique at its vanguard.

In that respect, he is in esteemed company.

Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne, among others, have discovered that the Etihad's vast appreciation is not mirrored on the biggest stages.

Global acclaim is unlikely to be forthcoming for Foden anytime soon but his time as Silva's apprentice has been well-served.

City's new magician-in-waiting is just getting started.