- Phil Foden was pictured landing multiple fish with his dad on an Oxfordshire lake
- The 24-year-old has yet to report for training after reaching the Euro 2024 final
- Foden has long been a keen angler, and fished with family on holiday in June
With the return of the Premier League looming, Phil Foden has been pictured enjoying the remainder of his summer holiday at an Oxfordshire fishing lake.
After enjoying the most prolific season of his career to date, the 24-year-old was a key component of Gareth Southgate‘s England squad that reached the final of Euro 2024 in Germany.
And while his Manchester City team-mates continued their preparations for the coming campaign with a pre-season tour of the United States, Foden enjoyed some downtime closer to home.
In a series of photos shared on social media, the attacking midfielder and his father spent time fishing for catfish, carp, tench, pike and perch on a lake situated in the small town of Witney.
At the £14-a-day Linear Fisheries site, the pair posed with a number of prize catches as the younger Foden prepares to report back for training on Monday.
Phil Foden posed with a huge catch after taking a short fishing break in Oxfordshire
Foden and his father, Phil Sr, spent five days at the £14-a-day Linear Fisheries lake in Witney
The Manchester City star has long been a keen angler, sharing his catches on social media
After breaking into City’s first-team as a teenager Foden revealed that most of the other players in the dressing room do not share his love for angling.
‘Probably about 95% of the football lads don’t enjoy it,’ he said in 2020.
‘The odd one likes fishing, so when people find out they say: “what a weird sport to enjoy”. They don’t understand why you enjoy it.
‘Obviously, they need to go and try it. I think it’s the perfect hobby to rest your legs and have some down time.’
Foden’s love for his hobby is such that he even missed City’s Premier League title celebrations in 2018 in order to go on a pre-planned trip with his dad.
The passion for fishing has clearly stuck with Foden throughout all the fame and fortune his already glittering career has provided him.
Earlier this summer he was seen fishing with his younger brother Logan off the side of a yacht during a family holiday to Marbella.
Foden has been enjoying some downtime after reaching the Euro 2024 final with England
Last season’s FWA Footballer of the Year will return to training on Monday ahead of the coming campaign
The time for tranquil relaxation will soon come to an abrupt end though as Pep Guardiola sets about continuing his side’s unprecedented run of domestic dominance in the top flight.
The defending champions will kick off their campaign at Stamford Bridge as Guardiola takes on his former protege Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.