Last night, Manchester City wonderkid Phil Foden was named PFA Player of the Year. The award joins Foden’s Premier League Player of the Season award and the FWA Footballer of the Year award he won last season.

Having won three prestigious individual awards, Foden has now taken his place at the top of the game. The challenge for Foden now is to stay there and based on what he has shown throughout his young career, there is little doubt that he can maintain that status.

Last season, Phil Foden became the player he was always meant to be. The Manchester City prodigy was one of Pep Guardiola’s side’s most important players during their successful 23/24 campaign. In 53 appearances last season, he scored 27 goals and provided 12 assists. Foden also scored crucial goals during City’s rise to the Premier League title last season. When a big moment came, it was invariably Foden who stepped up. That’s what the best players in the game do. Foden is now firmly established as one of them.

Now the challenge for Phil Foden is to stay at the top of the game. It’s one thing to climb the mountain, but staying there is a whole other challenge. But Manchester City’s wonderkid looks well placed to maintain that position. Under Pep Guardiola’s leadership and surrounded by players like Kevin De Bruyne and others, Foden has all the tools to maintain his position in the game. He also has considerable talent and the mental wherewithal to maintain his place in the game.

The 23/24 season will forever be remembered as the season that saw Phil Foden take his place at the top of the game and as we head into the 24/25 season, he looks to have a good chance of maintaining his place at the top.