Phil Foden looked like a different player for Manchester City against Wydad AC.
The Premier League side got their FIFA Club World Cup off to a good start in Philadelphia on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over the Moroccan side, which was started courtesy of a Foden goal.
The strike helped Foden become the first Englishman to score in multiple editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes all formats, having also scored against Fluminense in the 2023 final.
Having experienced a tough 2024/25 campaign, Man City fans would have been very happy with the 25-year-old’s performance, and what the midfielder has been showing in training should have been a sign that the display was coming.
Phil Foden warming up ahead of Manchester City v Wydad AC at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by Carl Recine – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Phil Foden has been a lot happier in Man City training
Although Man City struggled as a whole throughout the 2024/25 campaign, Foden is one star who was affected by the Manchester club’s form more than others, as the midfielder failed to replicate the heights he reached during the 2023/24 season.
There were many reasons for this, but the 25-year-old seems to have got past this, as Jack Gaughan has reported the difference he has noticed in Foden during Man City training sessions.
More Man City News
“The signs appear decent, Foden jollier in training – grinning and laughing, larking about more than in recent months – and with a renewed intensity as City eased their way into the tournament,” Gaughan wrote for the Daily Mail.
Gaughan would continue by saying about his Wydad performance: “His understanding of when to join in with Guardiola’s armoury of attacking weapons and when to drop deeper as Tijjani Reijnders strolled forward suggests he is an option in that central midfield area as a genuine number eight.”
Season Games Goals Assists Minutes
24/25 46 11 7 2905
23/24 53 27 13 4276
Phil Foden’s last two seasons at Man City
The Club World Cup is important for Foden, as the tournament is a chance to show Guardiola that he is still able to produce at the highest level and bounce back from what he went through last season.
The 25-year-old is one of the most talented players in the entire Premier League, and if Man City can get him back to his best, that will be a big worry for the Manchester club’s rivals.
What Phil Foden has done to help him perform at the FIFA Club World Cup
Knowing the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup for his 2025/26 season, Foden has put measures in place to make sure he is happy and can perform while he is out in the United States.
According to the Daily Mail, the Man City star has all his family and friends out on the east coast of America in a huge house with a pool.
It is said that having his kids nearby, whom he can spend time with in the sunshine on a day off, which he did earlier this week, is something of a relaxing reset for Foden.
The midfielder has a big few weeks ahead of him in the United States, and if he can play a big part in the Manchester club winning the Club World Cup, that sets him up perfectly to continue into the Premier League season.