Manchester City players are worried about the form and fitness of Phil Foden, according to a report.
The 24-year-old enjoyed arguably his best season yet in a Citizens shirt in 2023-24 and was rewarded with the PFA, FWA and Premier League Player of the Year accolades after scoring 27 goals and registering 12 assists in 53 appearances.
Foden was unable to replicate his exceptional club form on the international stage with England at Euro 2024 last summer, though, and his struggles have since continued at the Etihad Stadium during a turbulent 2024-25 campaign for Man City overall.
Regarded by many as the heir to Kevin De Bruyne, who is facing an uncertain future at Man City, Foden has been a shadow of the creative spark and prolific goalscorer that played an integral role in securing an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title for the Citizens last season.
The versatile attacker endured a disrupted start to the current campaign due to illness before enjoying a purple patch in front of goal at the beginning of this year, recording six goals and two assists across six games in January.
However, Foden has since contributed with only one assist in his last 11 appearances for the Citizens in all competitions, failing to complete 90 minutes in over a month.
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Man City players ‘worried’ about out-of-form Foden
According to the Daily Mail reporter Jack Gaughan, Man City players are known to have privately worried about Foden, who revealed at the beginning of the season that he suffered from ‘mental fatigue’.
Foden, who is claimed to have lost weight to the naked eye, is understood to have also had a ‘secretive physical issue’ which has held him back this season.
Both Foden’s representatives and Man City have declined to confirm the nature of either issue, and as a result, mitigation for below-par performances is unavailable, while social media criticism has also grown.
Should any members of Pep Guardiola‘s squad require any support, psychologist David Young is said to be at the disposal of all players at the club.
Meanwhile, Foden is said to have been left ‘frustrated’ by the role he was given with England at Euro 2024, operating out wide – primarily on the left flank – to accommodate Jude Bellingham in the number 10 role.
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Tuchel: ‘Things are not so easy for Foden’
Despite his poor club form, Foden was called up to Thomas Tuchel‘s first England squad earlier this month and was handed a start on the right wing in the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Albania in World Cup qualifying.
However, Foden was unable to make his mark and subsequently began the second match – a 3-0 win over Latvia on Monday – as a substitute before coming on as a central attacking midfielder for the final 25 minutes and setting up Eberechi Eze to score England’s third goal.
Commenting on Foden’s form this season, Tuchel told reporters: “Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have.”
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 will be hoping to rediscover his best form in the closing stages of this season and is in contention to play for Man City in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie at Bournemouth.
