It is safe to say that the 2024/25 campaign was one to forget for Phil Foden, but the Manchester City star has been looking good so far at the Club World Cup.
The Club World Cup is technically the 2024/25, but for Foden – and many other players in the City squad – it’s a chance for a bit of a fresh start.
Manchester City fell way short of the standards expected last term, finishing trophyless and third in the Premier League table.
But so far this summer, City have made some exciting signings, and it is already looking like 2025/26 will be a much better season.
Pep Guardiola looks so much happier, and it’s been all smiles with the squad at the Club World Cup so far.
And Phil Foden has definitely impressed out in the US, and his efforts are even making waves in training too.
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Rayan Cherki blown away by stunning Phil Foden strike in Man City training
Phil Foden in action during Nottingham Forest v Manchester City.
Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Foden got just 10 goals in the 2024/25 season, down from 27 the season before.
There were several reasons for Foden’s struggles, with injuries and personal issues affecting his performance and rhythm.
Foden has acknowledged that he fell short of the standards everyone expects from him, but there can be no denying that he’ll be working extremely hard to get back to his previous levels.
So far at the Club World Cup, Foden has scored twice for City and has looked confident and sharp.
He was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad and that appears to have helped him.
He’s back with the City squad and looking good, and in training in recent days the star was looking so deadly in a shooting drill.
Balls were being fired into the players from people behind the goals, and at one point, Foden stuns the ball and blasts a strike right into the top corner.
There is barely any backlift, and a real nonchalance about Foden as he put his foot through the ball – a clear sign that his confidence is high right now.
The lethal hit drew an extended round of applause from Rayan Cherki, who was also participating in the drill. Omar Marmoush also congratulated Foden on the goal.
Foden and Cherki could be a destructive duo for Man City
At this stage, it is impossible to say how Guardiola will set City up this season.
The likelihood is that he will constantly chop and change and innovate, given the talent at his disposal.
But Foden and Cherki together as a pair of eights or 10s could be something we see a fair bit. Gary Lineker reckons Cherki and Erling Haaland could be dangerous for City, but the Frenchman and Foden could cause some serious damage in the pockets.
Rayan Cherki in action for Manchester City v Wydad AC at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by Carl Recine – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Both are amazing technicians and excel in the small spaces – something we know Guardiola is very big on.
And, as this clip that City have released shows, both are extremely good at shooting from the edge of the penalty area.
Some Man City fans felt Foden was ignoring Cherki during the Frenchman’s debut. But there was likely nothing in it, and fans ought to consider just how brilliant a partnership between them could be.