Why Phil Foden is absent from the Manchester City squad against Wolves | OneFootball

Phil Foden is absent from the Manchester City matchday squad to take on Wolves at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

The England international was an unused substitute in City’s most recent victory in the Premier League against Tottenham on Thursday night, with Pep Guardiola opting for Julian Alvarez ahead of Foden in the wide left position.

Phil Foden has endured a somewhat hit and miss campaign so far under Pep Guardiola, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 27 appearances across all competitions, despite an expectation to further excel this campaign.

As City look to further build on their midweek victory, they will do so without Phil Foden, who has been excluded from the Manchester City matchday squad that will challenge Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves this afternoon.

The official line from the club is that Phil Foden is ‘not fully fit’, and as such, will play no role in the Premier League clash against the struggling Midlands side. Foden’s last start for the club came in the 2-1 Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford against Erik ten Hag’s United.

Cole Palmer returns to the City squad in place of Foden, with the club’s bright academy prospect hungry for additional minutes in a potentially breakthrough season for the reigning Premier League champions.

Elsewhere, Sergio Gomez remains absent from the matchday squad, following the return of Ruben Dias from injury, as well as John Stones – who starts for the second consecutive game after returning from his problem.