It was only a few months ago that Phil Foden was so worn out physically and mentally that he asked not to be selected by England. Now he is putting his hand up to play games that he wouldn’t normally be considered for. The fire within him that almost burned out is raging again and he has rekindled Manchester City’s fortunes, fuelling their impressive return to form from their worst start to a season in 20 years.
With Foden pulling the strings in a new-look No. 10 role, City have won four of their last five games to make a statement in all competitions, totting up an aggregate score of 13-2. This resurgent City will be looking to consolidate their upturn in results in the lavish surroundings of Monaco on Wednesday, with Foden looking like their shiniest asset once more.
Foden has directly contributed to four goals in those five matches, scoring against Manchester United and Huddersfield Town while assisting against the League One side and in the Champions League win over Napoli. He has indirectly contributed to far more. His silky footwork unzipped United’s defence, allowing Jeremy Doku to feed Erling Haaland to do the rest and double the advantage Foden’s headed goal had given them.
He did not get on the scoresheet in the recent drubbing of Burnley but he may as well have done. His eagerness to pounce on a rebound forced Maxime Esteve to put the ball through his own net. Foden then provided the ball to Matheus Nunes which led to Esteve scoring a second own goal. He had also played his part in the move leading to Nunes scoring on the volley.