""He's the first I'm looking for. I'm desperate for Phil to feel happy and [play with] the joy, and that in every training session he's smiling, his face, and can contribute. One of the reasons why we struggled last season was because we missed him a lot in the final third, in the creativity, in our work ethic. He's top with that.""
""We have a glimpse of, 'Oh, he's coming back' after the knock, but one week then he stops. After he comes back, another knock. All the players that come back have to play games and be [involved] day by day, that is what we have to t""
Phil Foden endured a frustrating 2024-25 campaign with only 20 starts, seven Premier League goals and two assists, down from 33 starts, 19 goals and eight assists the season before when he won player of the year. Persistent fitness problems stopped sustained momentum, limited his early 2025-26 minutes to 15 in City's first three games, and kept him out of the latest England squad before returning to contention. Kevin De Bruyne's departure increased Foden's creative importance. Guardiola expressed urgency for Foden to regain fitness, joy and match involvement after repeated ankle setbacks disrupted progress.
Read at ESPN.com
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