Phil Foden has said Manchester City had ‘extra motivation’ for their derby win over Manchester United following the death of City fan Ricky Hatton.
British boxing great Hatton was found dead at his home on Sunday morning, with City paying tribute to the former super-lightweight and welterweight world champion, and lifelong supporter of the club, ahead of kick-off at the Etihad.
Hatton was one of City’s most notable celebrity supporters and memorably beat Juan Lazcano at a sold-out Etihad in 2008.
Man City and Man United observe a minute’s applause for former world champion boxer and lifelong City fan Ricky Hatton 🩵🕊️
May he rest in peace.
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Foden dedicated City’s 3-0 win over their cross-town rivals, in which the midfielder opened the scoring before an Erling Haaland double, to the late Hatton.
“100% I had extra motivation going into the game, it was for him and his family and for the people suffering right now.,” Foden said speaking to Sky Sports.
“The lads gave everything. It wasn’t a pretty match but it was all for him.”
Foden started a league fixture for the first time this season and took just 18 minutes to open his account for the campaign. The 25-year-old said he was keen to prove a point after a lot of ‘negative’ talk around his performances last season.
“There has been a lot of talk. It’s impossible [not to hear outside talk]. Everything has been quite negative but that’s the world that we live in when you are playing at the highest level.
“When you come off winning the player of the season award the standards are higher and I understand that. It’s about reading those comments, reacting as well as possible and getting back to my level.”
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