Phil Foden has struggled for form at Manchester City this season after winning the PFA Player of the Year in 2023-24, with England boss Thomas Tuchel also criticising his displays, and now his team-mates are concerned
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Updated 15:35, 24 Mar 2025
Phil Foden
Manchester City stars are reportedly "worried" about Phil Foden amid his drop in form
Manchester City players are reportedly "worried" about Phil Foden after seeing his dramatic drop in form, with claims the 24-year-old has lost weight. The England midfielder won PFA Player of the Year last season but is struggling for confidence in this campaign.
Foden has not scored or assisted in the Premier League since a 3-1 win over Chelsea in January and he has just seven goals and two assists in the top flight. It is a sharp decline from the 19 goals and eight assists he managed in the 2023-24 season.
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He remains in the plans of manager Pep Guardiola but was benched in two of City's last three Premier League games - and was hooked after just 69 minutes in the game he started against Nottingham Forest.
Foden still managed to receive a call-up to Thomas Tuchel's first England squad and started on the wing against Albania but was criticised by the German for his lack of impact on the pitch.
With Foden's poor form leaving fans and pundits baffled, City players are now thought to be privately concerned for their team-mate, according to the Daily Mail.
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The report says some members of the City squad have noticed Foden, who is believed to have moved his family outside of Manchester, has lost some weight amid a difficult season for him personally.
It goes on to say that Foden was "frustrated" over his role with England at the Euros last summer after being moved to the left-wing to allow Jude Bellingham to play centrally - though he has struggled to make an impact in that position for City this season.
With Tuchel now looking to stamp his mark on the team and prepare for a huge World Cup next year, it adds that Foden's place in the team is no longer guaranteed because the German will not take "passengers" in his squad.
Phil Foden
There have been concerns for Foden after claims he has lost weight and moved away from Manchester
Discussing the under-par displays of Foden - as well as Rashford - he said: "We hope for more impact in these positions. More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general, that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be. It was a little bit too much passing, not enough dribbling, not aggressive enough towards goal.
“Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have but both of them are very positive, they have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them.”
He added: “For Phil, it’s a difficult season in the club. He comes from several weeks where he does not find the rhythm that he found last season, things are not so easy for him, so we called him up to show him our support and our love and our commitment."
Foden has played 38 games in all competitions so far this season, scoring 10 times in total. He has amassed a total of 308 appearances for his boyhood club since being given his debut by Guardiola in 2017.
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