City Are Back: Foden can’t wait for new season | OneFootball

Phil Foden says he’s looking forward to enjoying the new season and getting back to his very best form.

The City midfielder trained in front of a sold-out Joie Stadium as fans got the opportunity to watch the women’s and men’s squads being put through their paces as part of the City Are Back event.

He was joined by new signings Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and James Trafford as they met the supporters in Manchester.

Foden says the new arrivals have a brought a freshness to the squad and he is excited about playing alongside them as he gets back to the impact that saw him named Player of the Year in 2024.

“I want to get back to my level, I just have to put the work in in training and believe in myself,” he said.

“I think after last season, we needed to add to the squad and bring in fresh legs. The new additions have done really well, they’ve settled in really quickly and they’re here to help us.

“We can all see the quality of them from the Club World Cup and what they bring to the team so we’ve got a bigger squad at the moment but I think it was needed.

“I’m just looking forward to the season and linking up with players that I like to play with and enjoying it really.”

Foden scored twice at the FIFA Club World Cup as he became just the 20th player to hit a century of goals for City.

And despite our last-16 exit, he felt that he was returning to the sort of sharpness he wants to bring his best quality on the pitch.

“I wouldn’t say absolute best, but I would say I was a little bit sharper,” he added.

“And I managed to score a couple of goals as well so there were positive signs in how I played.”

While new faces have arrived, there also been exits including the hugely influential Kevin De Bruyne after 10 outstanding years with City.

Foden says he is not going to step in and play the same way as the Belgian legend but is ready to make an impact along with all the creative players that Pep Guardiola has at his disposal.

“I’m not sure where the manager sees me this year, I can play in multiple different positions but we all know that my favourite position is inside, in the pockets,” he said.

“Let’s see what happens. I’m not here to replicate what Kev did because we all know how good he was and what he did for the Club.

“It’s just about trying my best and getting to the level I set when I was Player of the Year - I want to get back to that.”