Phil Foden's Revival Under Enzo Maresca
Phil Foden has heard all the whispers. The lost spark. The stalled career. The England place gone.
Now he looks intent on tearing that script up under Enzo Maresca.
Two years on from being crowned 2023-24 Player of the Year, the Manchester City midfielder has endured a slump sharp enough to cost him his spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup. For a player once seen as the face of club and country, that blow cut deep.
Maresca, though, has walked into the Etihad and seen something different.
A new Foden under Maresca
From the first days of pre-season, the Italian has sensed a shift. Not in Foden’s talent – that was never in doubt – but in his edge.
“I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one,” Maresca said, reflecting on the Community Shield defeat at the Principality Stadium, where Foden started and played an hour in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal.
Inside City’s training ground, the mood music around the academy graduate has changed.
“He looks very, very good and people inside the building are saying that, compared to the last one or two years, Phil is a completely different player in terms of mood, in terms of what he is showing in the sessions,” Maresca explained. “This is what we want. Phil is from the academy, from the house, so it is nice for everyone to see him getting better and better.”
That phrase – “from the house” – matters at City. In a summer of big numbers and big egos, Foden remains the local boy who came through the ranks. Maresca knows that if he can get him firing again, it sends a message about what this new era stands for.
Cherki, competition and a shared stage
When Foden’s number went up on 60 minutes against Arsenal and Rayan Cherki stepped on, the narrative wrote itself. One creative No 10 for another. One place up for grabs.
Speculation grew that the pair were locked in a straight duel for a single starting berth. Maresca moved quickly to cool that idea, while welcoming the edge it brings.
“They can play together – in different positions – but for sure they are quite similar,” he said. “At the end, if you want to build an important team, you need competition inside the team. So it’s good that Phil and Rayan have that competition, but they can also play together in some games.”
The message is clear: no comfort zones. Foden might be the homegrown favourite, Cherki the new flair signing, but both will have to earn their minutes. For Maresca, that tension is a feature, not a flaw.
Life after Pep
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of something City have not faced for a decade: a Premier League season without Pep Guardiola.
Maresca is not trying to reinvent the club overnight. He is trying to extend a dynasty.
“I’m very excited to start this new chapter, this new journey. The target is to carry on from the last 10-15 years,” he said.
It is a delicate balance. Keep the standards, refresh the faces, and convince a dressing room used to Guardiola’s voice that a new one can take them just as far.
Foden sits right at the heart of that challenge. If Maresca can turn a player who drifted from the England picture into the relentless force he once threatened to be, it strengthens his grip on the squad and the stands.
Bournemouth, big money and a record on the line
The first real test comes on Sunday, when City open their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at the Etihad Stadium against Bournemouth.
The afternoon could bring a competitive home debut for £116 million summer signing Elliot Anderson, another piece in Maresca’s reshaped puzzle. Jeremy Doku will not be involved, the winger sidelined with a calf problem.
Maresca also has history on his side. Each of City’s last four permanent managers has won their opening league fixture in charge. It is a quirky record, but in a club obsessed with momentum, it matters.
Foden will want to be on the pitch when that run is either extended or snapped. He has already lost too much ground over the last two seasons. Under a new manager, in a new era, this feels like the moment he either reclaims his place at the centre of City’s story – or watches someone else take it.
