The 25-year-old shone as City kicked off their challenge at the Club World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca.
Phil Foden is determined to bounce back after a frustrating 2024-25 season (Zed Jameson/PA)
Phil Foden is determined to bounce back after a frustrating 2024-25 season (Zed Jameson/PA) (PA Archive)
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Phil Foden is determined “to prove people wrong” and bounce back from a frustrating 2024-25 campaign.
The star player as Manchester City won a fourth successive Premier League title the season before last, Foden lost his spark amid an underwhelming team performance.
But now feeling refreshed after a short break, the 25-year-old shone as City kicked off their challenge at the Club World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Foden opened the scoring after just two minutes against the Moroccans and then delivered the corner from which Jeremy Doku claimed the second just before the break.
For the England international it was an immediate justification of his decision to sit out the recent internationals to prepare for this summer’s tournament in the United States.
Foden said: “It was a difficult season. I’m not going to lie, it was not the best.
“But I got a little bit of time off, rested. New start, new me. Just looking forward to the season.
“The hunger inside me is back and I want to prove people wrong.”
Having represented England at Euro 2024, Foden says he “can’t remember” the last time he had a significant spell of rest.
“Not a lot of footballers these days get much time off, so it was very important,” he said.
“I struggled to switch off completely but I just rested with the family, did my own thing and stuff. I needed it.”
Foden, playing a deeper role than usual, was instrumental in a side featuring two debutants in Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
None of the four-strong captaincy group revealed by manager Pep Guardiola on the eve of the match – Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ruben Dias or Erling Haaland – started, leaving goalkeeper Ederson to wear the armband.
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Their Moroccan opponents had some bright moments as City as tempered their game in difficult, humid conditions but the Premier League side remained in control.
The only blot on their afternoon was the late sending-off of defender Rico Lewis for a sliding challenge in which he caught Samuel Obeng in the face.
Foden said: “It was very good, obviously, to start the tournament off with a win. It was massively important.
“When they had the ball I was playing as a holding midfielder, so it’s something I’ve not been used to but I enjoyed it. I want to be in the middle as much as I can.
“I’m working on things that I can improve but I’m happy to get back in with the goals, and creating chances as well. That’s what I want to do.
“We want to try and put last year behind us and get back to how we used to be. The determination is definitely there.”