Phil Foden's Journey Back to Form at Manchester City
Phil Foden has heard the doubts. He knows exactly what people have been saying about the Player of the Year who drifted off the radar, the academy jewel who slipped out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad before a World Cup.
Now he wants his Manchester City career back.
Two difficult seasons since lifting the 2023-24 Player of the Year award left Foden on the outside looking in, his form dipping to the point that he did not make the cut for England’s 2026 World Cup squad. For a player once seen as the future of club and country, it was a brutal jolt.
Enzo Maresca has walked into that story at a decisive moment.
A different Foden walks through the door
From the first days of pre-season, Maresca says he has seen something change.
"I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one," the new City head coach said, pointing to the Community Shield defeat as more than just a 3-0 loss.
Foden started that match against Arsenal at the Principality Stadium, playing an hour before making way for Rayan Cherki. The scoreline hurt, but inside the club, the conversation around Foden sounded very different.
"He looks very, very good and people inside the building are saying that, compared to the last one or two years, Phil is a completely different player in terms of mood, in terms of what he is showing in the sessions," Maresca explained. "This is what we want. Phil is from the academy, from the house, so it is nice for everyone to see him getting better and better."
That line matters at City. “From the house” is not just a throwaway phrase at a club that has spent heavily yet still leans on its own. Foden represents the project as much as the trophies do. When his standards drop, it jars. When he rises again, it energises the place.
Cherki, competition and the battle for minutes
When Foden’s number went up on 60 minutes in Cardiff and Cherki stepped on, the narrative wrote itself: one gifted playmaker off, another on, and a straight fight for a single role in Maresca’s new-look side.
Speculation grew that the pair would be locked in a duel for one starting berth. Maresca pushed back on that idea, but welcomed the edge it brings.
"They can play together - in different positions - but for sure they are quite similar," he said. "At the end, if you want to build an important team, you need competition inside the team. So it's good that Phil and Rayan have that competition, but they can also play together in some games."
That is the balance he wants: Foden sharpened by Cherki, Cherki pushed by Foden. Not a straight shootout, but no comfort zone either.
Life after Pep and a new chapter at the Etihad
All of this unfolds against a backdrop City have not faced for more than a decade: a season without Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
Maresca, stepping into one of the most demanding jobs in European football, is not shying away from the scale of it.
"I'm very excited to start this new chapter, this new journey. The target is to carry on from the last 10-15 years," he said.
That is the bar. Sustain a dynasty, not just start a project. And he knows how quickly judgment arrives.
City open their 2026-27 Premier League campaign on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium against Bournemouth. The match could deliver a first competitive home appearance for £116 million summer signing Elliot Anderson, a statement figure in a squad already loaded with quality.
Jeremy Doku will not be involved, ruled out with a calf problem, which may nudge Foden’s importance even higher in the early weeks of the season.
Maresca is also chasing history of his own. Each of City’s last four permanent managers has won their first league game in charge. Extend that run, and his reign starts on the front foot. Break it, and the questions arrive fast.
For Foden, though, the question is simpler and sharper: after two lost years, is this the season he finally reclaims the club that raised him?
