Phil Foden said Manchester City are “still 100 per cent focusing on winning football games” after scoring in his side’s 3-2 Premier League victory against Ipswich Town.
Phil Foden was back amongst the goals on his return to the Man City starting XI on Saturday.More Videos
The Stockport-born star returned to the starting lineup against Ipswich on Saturday after serving a three-match suspension for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes during a feisty Manchester derby over four weeks ago.
Foden missed home clashes against Norwich City and Sunderland before serving the final game of his suspension when Manchester City won 3-0 against Liverpool at Anfield, their first game since being found guilty of serious financial breaches.
Despite being up for selection against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, Foden stayed on the bench for the duration of that 4-2 defeat but was part of a much-changed City side on Saturday.
Foden described being suspended as 'hard' but enjoys goal on Premier League return
At the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, Foden scored the opener in a largely dominant showing, where Maresca’s side posed nearly 70 per cent possession, double the shots that Ipswich had and 40 touches in their opponents’ box.
Erling Haaland added two more goals later in the game, and would have secured his hat-trick after 87 minutes had Enzo Fernandez not been caught offside in the build-up to the disallowed goal.
The game was flipped on its head towards the end when Zian Flemming scored a penalty after 90 minutes to add to Daizen Maeda’s earlier goal, but Manchester City held on for all three points as fans around the Etihad waved their bananas - the club’s revived craze from the 1980s aimed at injecting humour and fun into football.
Foden, who took an inflatable banana to his television interviews after the game, revealed how he felt during his suspension and how he had to train on his own at times.
“It's been such a hard time. It's been over a month. I couldn't play, so it's been quite annoying. I've had to be patient [and] train on my own sometimes. It's not been easy,” he said in an interview with BBC Radio Manchester.
On scoring on his return, Foden added: “Today, to get out there and score and get three points, it's what I've been thinking about for a long time.”
We’re still 100 per cent focused on winning football games, says defiant Foden
Until Saturday, Foden had not played for the club since they were found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, though the attacking midfielder, who has made 376 appearances for the Citizens, admitted that he and his teammates are not listening to the outside noise.
“We just try to not listen to anything," the England international said. "The noise going around, we try to just stick to our football, take it game by game, and I think you can see that it's not affecting us one bit.
“We're still 100 percent focused on winning football games, and I think that's how it has to be. The main focus is doing our job, and that's all we can do.”
City have since launched a comprehensive appeal against the commission’s findings, and a new independent commission made up of three people will have until December 24 to conduct a five-day hearing.
If the original guilty verdict is upheld, Manchester City could face relegation, be forced to pay a substantial fine or be handed a lengthy transfer ban. It is widely suggested that City could also be stripped of titles won during the period of 2009-18.