Delph credits ´genius´ Pep with career turnaround

Fabian Delph paid tribute to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for helping him to hit form in time for the World Cup, saying: “He has reinvented me.”

The 28-year-old was England’s outstanding player as the Three Lions beat Costa Rica 2-0 in their final warm-up game before flying out to Russia, and he spoke about how Guardiola’s footballing vision has altered his approach to the game.

Having spent most of his career as a midfielder, Delph played at full-back in many of his 22 Premier League appearances for City last season and said his understanding of tactics and positional play has broadened under the Catalan.

“He’s fantastic. For me, he is a genius,” Delph told reporters. “He has opened my eyes to so much. I didn’t picture football like Pep does. He’s painted the pictures for me.

A full 90 minutes for Fabian Delph and John Stones played just over an hour