"Unfortunately, he is one of the victims of this crazy calendar," said PFA chief executive Maheta Molango. That framing — victim — tells you how far Phil Foden has fallen from the player who won the Premier League's Player of the Season award just two years ago.
Thomas Tuchel left Foden out of England's 2026 World Cup squad, and there wasn't much argument. The 25-year-old had spent the 2025/26 season as a peripheral figure at the Etihad — available less frequently, and unconvincing when he did play. The version of Foden that tore the Premier League apart in 2023/24 has been absent long enough that his omission barely registered as controversial.
A new manager changes everything — but not automatically
Pep Guardiola is gone. The man who developed Foden from City's academy, vouched for him through dips in form, and built the team's attacking structure around his movement — no longer there. Whoever comes in next has no personal loyalty to Foden, no institutional memory of what he can be at his best. He's starting from scratch.
That's a risk. It's also the reset he probably needs.
While most of Foden's England peers return from the USA, Canada and Mexico exhausted and carrying tournament mileage, Foden arrives at pre-season fresh. If he's used this summer properly, that difference is real. A fit, motivated Foden impressing a new manager from day one is a genuine possibility — not just a hopeful one.
The stakes for bettors watching City's attack
Molango's point about the fixture calendar isn't just a welfare argument — it's a performance one. Foden's availability and impact dropped in tandem, and City's attacking threat suffered for it. A rejuvenated Foden next season would meaningfully change the calculus around City's title odds and their output in the final third.
But the window is narrowing. At 25, with no Guardiola safety net and a new manager assessing the squad from zero, Foden cannot afford another season of half-measures. The talent is documented. The question is whether the body and the mind are ready to back it up again.
"We love players who make us dream and who have pure talent," Molango added. The Premier League does too. It just needs Foden to actually show up.
