The 25-year-old midfielder has been at the Etihad from his schoolboy days and is now about to sign a deal that will keep him there until 2030
Phil Foden of Manchester City during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester City and Salford City
Phil Foden is about to sign a new contract that will keep him at Manchester City for at least another four seasons(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))
View 3 Images
It was not a startling cameo but he caused Everton enough problems in 25 minutes to suggest all his confidence has not been drained by one of the more testing spells of his career. And while Pep Guardiola tends not to change his starting eleven too radically at this stage of the season, there is every chance Phil Foden will start the game against Brentford on Saturday evening.
He will be an important player for City in these final three weeks of the season. And he will be an important player for Thomas Tuchel and England this summer.
The news that Foden has agreed a contract that will keep him at the Etihad until 2030 - and probably beyond - cannot be anything but good for City supporters. He is a totally different character but Foden is to City what Steven Gerrard was to Liverpool.
It is easy to mock that suggestion. For a long time, there was no player more important to Liverpool than Gerrard.
He was the leader of the team. He was the hub of the team. Right now, the same cannot be said about Foden regarding his role at City.
But Foden is an enduring symbol of the club’s roots, he is continuity, he is the embodiment of what the academy is about. This is a local lad who has come through the ranks and has six Premier League winners’ medals. He has been a key member of a squad that has also won the FA Cup twice, the EFL Cup five times and the Champions League once.
He only turns 26 towards the end of this month. He was the PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Pep Guardiola speaking to Phil Foden during Manchester City's win over West Ham
Pep Guardiola has not given Phil Foden a Premier League start since early March(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Considering the amount of elite, high-intensity football Foden has played, he is allowed a dip in form, even an extended dip. Including his 49 England caps, Foden has made well over 400 senior appearances. That is a lot for a 25-year-old. That takes a physical and mental toll.
His numbers this season do not look great, that is for sure. Certainly not in recent months. But an overall return of ten goals and five assists in 46 appearances is not utterly disastrous.
And he will not lose that game-changing quality overnight. There is plenty of debate about his prospects for the World Cup.
Tuchel did leave Foden - along with Jude Bellingham - out of one squad last October but that felt like a gentle reminder more than anything else. A nudge to a couple of poster boys that no-one’s place is guaranteed in a Tuchel squad.
Thomas Tuchel talks to England players during a drinks break
Thomas Tuchel has given Phil Foden no guarantees but is a big fan of the Manchester City midfielder(Image: 2026 Robin Jones)
View 3 Images
Tuchel has long been an admirer of Foden, who will be heading to his fourth tournament when he flies to the States with England. And he WILL go. With 23 outfield players to select, Tuchel will not leave world-class talent at home.
Foden is a world-class talent. And he should be relatively fresh - both for City’s run-in and for World Cup duty. Foden has not started a Premier League game since March 4.
That will quite probably change this weekend. And with his long-term future sorted, City and England fans should see a refreshed and reinvigorated Phil Foden.