John Hartson wants Manchester City starlet to join Celtic

Over the past few seasons Celtic have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Manchester City with a number of players joining the Scottish side on loan in search of playing time. Now John Hartson has advised Celtic to sign one of their stars who Guardiola described as the ‘most talented player’ he had ever seen.

Celtic are no strangers to the loan system, signing a number of stars on temporary basis over the past several years in order to work past the sudden hike in the cost of footballers. Their status as the reigning champions of Scotland has also made them an attractive destination for young English players looking for some regular playing time before breaking into the first team.

One club who has had a particularly good relationship with Celtic is English Premier League giants  Manchester City. Patrick Roberts, John Guidetti, Dedryck Boyata, Olivier Ntcham and Jeremie Frimpong have all made the switch from the sky blue of Manchester to the green-and-white of Glasgow. And now former Celtic striker and current BT Sport wants Phil Foden to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and join the Hoops on loan in January.

Phil Foden is very highly rated in Manchester and has been touted to be a breakout star of their academy for a very long time. Pep Guardiola even went on to say that he was the ‘most talented player‘ he had ever seen. The same Guardiola who had coached a certain guy named Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona!

Speaking to Football FanCast, Hartson said:

"“Listen, I would pay Guardiola myself to get Foden on loan at Celtic.“What a coup that would be for Celtic! Roberts was fantastic in his first year and it didn’t quite work out in the second year.“But Foden would be fantastic for the fans to watch. He’s one of the best young players out their right now.“I listened to Guardiola’s comments at the start of the season and he said that he will give Foden much more game time this season.“But you look at that midfield and it’s difficult for him. Even the fact he’s in the mix and to be in and out of that side is an achievement.”"

It is very clear that Celtic cannot sign Foden on a permanent basis. But he could be available on loan in January after struggling to break into a historically great Manchester City this season. If he is indeed available, Celtic should leave no stone unturned to sign the 19-year-old.