Pep Guardiola has dropped a huge hint that Phil Foden will play in the Manchester derby on Sunday.

The Manchester City manager’s comment almost went unnoticed, after he was asked why Foden had not been involved in the FA Cup fifth round win at Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night.

It seemed the perfect opportunity to give the 19-year-old another game, just three days after his man of the match performance in the Carabao Cup final triumph at Wembley.

But he was named among the substitutes, and stayed on the bench as City dominated the game and came away with a 1-0 victory.

That led to speculation that Foden is being saved for the clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

And that became an even greater possibility with Guardiola revealing Kevin De Bruyne is a doubt for the game with a back problem, while David Silva played a full 90 minutes at Hillsborough.

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When asked why Foden did not play – the first time this season he has not been picked in a cup match against lower league opposition – Guardiola initially interpreted the question to be about the fact he was not used from the bench.

“They were playing good, I didn’t want to move much,” was Guardiola’s reply, but he then added: “He’s ready. He has to be ready. Next game, he’s going to play.”

Foden’s only previous experiences of competitive senior derbies came when he played the last four minutes of the 3-1 win at Old Trafford in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final in January, and the final minute of last season’s 3-1 home league win over the Reds.

(Image: Victoria Haydn/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)

Of course, Guardiola is a master of obfuscation when it comes to his team selection, so it would be no huge surprise if his intention is to again bring the Stockport youngster off the bench.

But picking him to start in the Carabao Cup final seemed to be a significant step, in terms of the evolution of the team.

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The fact it came just four days after an exhausting and euphoric win at Real Madrid possibly fed into Guardiola’s decision, but he had spoken of the Wembley clash with Aston Villa as a “must-win”.

The fact that Silva played 90 minutes in midweek, when De Bruyne is a doubt, also indicates that Guardiola is willing to throw Foden in from the start.

There is little resting on the derby from a City perspective, with a Champions League place almost assured, while United need the points to try to dislodge Chelsea from the fourth qualification spot.

But the Blues have been stung by losing two of the three derbies already played this season, and a win would secure the Blues’ best run of wins at the home of the old enemy since they chalked up five wins on the bounce from 1968 to 1972.