Abdukodir Khusanov is still finding his feet at Manchester City following his move from RC Lens. The 20-year-old will face teething problems in his first few months in English football, mostly as he can’t speak English yet and has never played at a club of the stature of the Cityzens.
However, it looks like Pep Guardiola’s squad is doing their best to make him feel at home and blend into the unit with ease. Phil Foden, in particular, has taken a liking to the Uzbekistan defender and has seemingly taken him under his wing to help him adapt to how things work with the first-team squad.
Khusanov has already started training with the Cityzens immediately after his transfer and looked to be quite proactive in the open training before the UEFA Champions League game against PSG. The Uzbekistan centre-back looked to be sticking very close to Foden in training.
He could be seen trying to mirror Foden in the different exercises and trying to learn off him in how to operate in Pep Guardiola’s exhaustive training schedule. To his credit, the English midfielder also sees to be very indulgent in taking the young centre-back under his wing to make him feel welcomed at his new club.
The Englishman looked to be delighted in working with Khusanov in training, with his beaming and upbeat nature reflecting positively on the young defender. It’s not like Foden is taking it ‘lightly’ or going easy with Khusanov, who being a defender, will obviously be an opposition player for Phil in training matches.
Foden gave Khusanov an early ‘warning’ of how tough it can be for him in Manchester City training in his first session, nutmegging the young defender and gave him a tough time in the session. The Englishman is maintaining the friendly competitiveness to get the very best out of Khusanov and preparing him for the intensity of the Premier League matches.
The England international’s ability to work as a mentor for Khusanov isn’t surprising, considering he’s always been an easy-going and helpful player in the squad. Foden has been a regular in Pep Guardiola’s squad since 2017 and is now a full-fledged ‘senior member’ of the squad despite being only 24.
Foden has played eight full seasons with the Cityzens’ squad and is the 10th highest-capped player in the squad. The 24-year-old has already captained Manchester City and this is because he’s acting like a leader behind the scenes too.
Khusanov is not the first Manchester City player that Foden has taken responsibility of ‘taking under his wing’ either. The Englishman tries to represent his club perfectly by ensure that foreign players don’t feel homesick after arriving in Manchester.
Foden played a key role in helping Ferran Torres feel well adjusted to Manchester City during his short stint at the club. After Torres arrived to Manchester City in 2021, Phil was an enthusiastic supporter in helping keep him motivated in his English-speaking lessons. Torres was also Foden’s neighbor in Manchester during his time with the Cityzens and often drove the Englishman to training because Phil didn’t have his own driving license back then.
The English midfielder also formed a close bond with Julian Alvarez, who left Manchester City in 2024 after a memorable two-year stint. Alvarez had hailed Foden as ‘really important’ player for Manchester City and the Argentine became closely attached to the Englishman and his family during his time in Manchester.
Alvarez was especially close to Ronnie Foden aka El Wey, sharing some sweet off-the-pitch moments with him and even bringing the young child with him to a match against Luton Town in the 2024/25 Premier League season. With Alvarez having left last summer, Phil appears to have found the next player whom he’s determined to help become a success story at Manchester City.
Even though Phil and Khusanov don’t play in the same areas on the pitch, early indications hint at a special friendship being built with Foden more than happy to be like a big brother who protects the centre-back and help him become a sensation in the Premier League.
