Phil Foden wants to get back to his best under Enzo Maresca at Manchester City but has other ambitions in the team as well
HONG KONG, CHINA - AUGUST 1: Phil Foden of Manchester City reacts during the Manchester City v Inter Milan - Pre-Season Friendly at Kai Tak Stadium on August 1, 2026 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
HONG KONG, CHINA - AUGUST 1: Phil Foden of Manchester City reacts during the Manchester City v Inter Milan - Pre-Season Friendly at Kai Tak Stadium on August 1, 2026 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Phil Foden
Phil Foden says he 'has to' step up and be one of the leaders at Manchester City this season as he hopes for a fresh start under Enzo Maresca. The England star is one of the few senior players in Asia on pre-season after missing out on the World Cup and needs to rediscover his form.
On top of that, Foden wants a role in the captaincy group. Usually a team of five or six senior players look after the dressing room at the Etihad and with Bernardo Silva and John Stones departing and Rodri potentially going to Real Madrid, there are plenty of vacancies.
Josko Gvardiol is looking to step into that team and Foden - now the longest serving player at City following the departure of Stones and Silva - is also keen on putting his hand up. Whatever issues he has had with his form over the last two seasons, the 26-year-old wants a leading role in the squad.
"I have to be really," he said at a press conference in Korea. "I’ve been at the club for so long, I’m one of the longest here so this season I have to be one of the leaders, one of the captains. I’m looking forward to that new responsibility and trying to take leadership."
Foden has been tasked with being an example to the younger players while on tour, although he won't get the chance to link up with young winger Ryan McAidoo in the friendly against K-League All Stars on Wednesday. McAidoo, who shone off the bench in the shootout defeat to Inter, has a minor shoulder problem that will prevent him from appearing.