Phil Foden’s team-mates ‘privately worried’ about struggling Man City star
Phil Foden has struggled for form this season and some in the Manchester City dressing room are said to be concerned about last season’s PFA Player of the Year
Manchester City’s squad are reportedly ‘worried’ about Phil Foden’s dramatic dip in form, with claims the 24-year-old has lost weight.
The England midfielder, who scooped up the PFA Player of the Year award last season, is currently struggling for form and confidence this campaign.
Foden hasn’t found the back of the net or provided an assist in the Premier League since City’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea in January, and he’s only managed to rack up seven goals and two assists in the league so far this season. A stark contrast to his impressive tally of 19 goals and eight assists during the 2023-24 season.
Despite his lacklustre performances, Foden remains in Pep Guardiola’s plans but he was dropped to the bench in two of City’s last three Premier League matches – and was substituted after just 69 minutes in the game he started against Nottingham Forest. Foden did manage to secure a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad and started in the win against Albania on Friday, but was criticised by the German for his lack of impact on the pitch.
City players are now said to be privately worried about their team-mate, according to the Daily Mail. The report suggests that some members of the City squad have noticed Foden, who is thought to have moved his family outside of Manchester, has lost some weight amid a challenging season for him personally.
The report added that Foden was ‘frustrated’ with his role in the England squad during last summer’s Euros, having been moved out to the left-wing to allow Jude Bellingham to play centrally. However, Foden has struggled to make an impact in the same position at City this season.
As Tuchel begins to imprint his vision on the team ahead of the World Cup next year, it’s said that Foden’s place is far from secure due to the German not accepting “passengers” in his squad.
Reflecting on Foden’s and Rashford’s lacklustre performances, Tuchel remarked: “We hope for more impact in these positions. More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general, that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be. It was a little bit too much passing, not enough dribbling, not aggressive enough towards goal.
“Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have but both of them are very positive, they have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them.”
He added: “For Phil, it’s a difficult season in the club. He comes from several weeks where he does not find the rhythm that he found last season, things are not so easy for him, so we called him up to show him our support and our love and our commitment.”
Foden has featured in 38 matches across all competitions this season, netting 10 goals. Since making his debut under Guardiola in 2017, he has racked up a total of 308 appearances for his boyhood club.
