Phil Foden has signed a new contract at Manchester City and is ready to hit the ground running under Enzo Maresca
Phil Foden has signed a new contract at Manchester City until 2030
Phil Foden has signed a new contract at Manchester City until 2030
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Phil Foden took in Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix this month – but now he's ready to serve up a successful season with Manchester City as the chequered flag on the new Premier League campaign hones into view.
The 26-year-old has penned a four-year deal with the option of a further 12 months and is itching to get going under new boss Enzo Maresca. The pair worked together during the Italian's previous stint at the Etihad when Maresca was Guardiola's assistant during the Treble-winning season.
Foden has a huge amount of respect for his new manager, and in the 2022/23 campaign spent time working on his finishing with the former Chelsea boss during extra sessions.
Foden played a key role for City that season and kicked on again the following campaign to inspire the Blues to a fourth successive title and earn himself a slew of individual awards.
He hasn't hit those heights since, despite a purple patch of form early last term, but has returned from a summer off refreshed and ready to go. Foden was left out of the England squad for the World Cup and MEN sources say he's returned to training this week in top condition and excited to reunite with Maresca.
The hope at City is that the extended break – his first summer off in three years having played in the FIFA Club World Cup last season and the European Championships the year before that – and the certainty over his future, along with the belief the club and manager have in his ability, will help him rediscover his best form.
Phil Foden and Hugo Viana
Phil Foden has signed a new contract at Manchester City keeping him at the Etihad until 2030 with the option of a further 12 months
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The boyhood Blue still managed 10 goals last season but they all came before Christmas and he found regular starts harder to come by under Pep Guardiola in the second half of the campaign.
Foden will now have a full pre-season with City and the chance to nail down a starting spot in Maresca's first XI, particularly with so many of the Blues World Cup contingent only returning on the eve of the new campaign.
And Foden himself is confident the new dawn at City will be a successful one with Maresca leading the charge.
“Very exciting," he said of the Maresca era. "You can tell by the first few sessions that I've done with him. The way he likes to play out from the back and play a lot of possession-based and it suits my game really well. I'm looking forward to that and hopefully it can help my game go to the next stage.
"Obviously, I've had Enzo before. When we had him in the Treble season, he was brilliant.
"His attention to detail, the small things that make a big difference, and even training with him at the moment, you can tell how good of a coach he is. I'm really excited to play under him and see where it goes.
“He's so nice. He's down to earth. He's someone that you can go to and talk about anything to him and he would help you out."
Foden will be one of the more experienced heads in the City dressing room next season and is comfortably the longest-serving player at the club having arrived as a nine-year-old.
The likes of Bernardo Silva and John Stones moved on this summer, following a raft of experienced players to have departed in recent years. But plenty of talent has arrived and City showed last season that they can challenge on all fronts having won both domestic cups and run Arsenal close in the Premier League title race.
Foden is relishing the role of mentor and is confident the future is bright at the Etihad.
"It's got a really good mix of young, fresh legs and a bit of experience and players that have won a lot of things and players that maybe haven't," he said of the City squad.
"But I think that balance is so good to have and hopefully we can keep pushing each other in training to get better and fight for titles and that's the aim, that's the team we want to be - competing for every trophy we can.”