Phil Foden has spoken of his excitement about working under Enzo Maresca, the new manager tasked with reshaping Manchester City following Pep Guardiola's departure. Yet as the 26-year-old prepares for what could be the most pivotal season of his career, a deeper question lingers: after nearly ten years in the public eye, do we actually understand what kind of player Foden is?
Maresca has already earned a reputation for meticulous, almost obsessive attention to detail — extensive video sessions, strict tactical discipline, and homework for players even during international breaks. Reportedly, he even prevents captains from joining goal celebrations, insisting they return to the touchline for further instruction. It is a stark departure in tone from Guardiola's reign, though perhaps a fitting parallel given how much Foden's identity as a footballer was shaped by his previous manager.
Over nine years under Guardiola, Foden was deployed in a dizzying array of roles. In 2022, Guardiola suggested a winger position suited him best. A year later, he cautioned that Foden's "free instinct" made a central role risky. By 2025, he described Foden as an ideal No 10 — "a little bit free and close to the box" — while also experimenting with him as a false nine and, more recently, in a deeper midfield position. Guardiola even remarked last season that Foden was "not a player to control the game."
This constant repositioning has made Foden one of the most tactically versatile — and hardest to define — players in the Premier League. He is a good passer without being a pure creator, technically gifted without being a dedicated dribbler, and capable of scoring goals without ranking among Europe's elite finishers, aside from a standout 2023-24 campaign in which he scored 27 goals across all competitions and was named the Premier League's Player of the Season.
Since that peak, however, his form has dipped noticeably. During the 2025-26 season, Foden found himself increasingly on the periphery — left out of the squad entirely for City's match against Real Madrid and given only a token late substitution in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Arsenal. His absence from England's squad for a high-profile World Cup fixture in Mexico City was particularly telling; instead, he reportedly spent part of the tournament watching tennis at Wimbledon.
Foden's career trajectory raises broader questions about English football's approach to developing homegrown talent. Identified as a generational prospect from a young age, he was given access to elite coaching, top-tier teammates, and a stable environment at City — the kind of nurturing pathway many believe is essential for producing world-class players. Yet unlike most of Guardiola's other star pupils, who typically arrived at City already established, Foden was moulded from adolescence into adulthood almost entirely within one system, under one manager's shifting demands.
That unique developmental path means Foden remains something of an unknown quantity outside of Guardiola's framework. He has never had to lead a struggling team, take on a primary creative burden, or operate without explicit tactical instruction dictating his movement. This disparity may help explain the gap between his prolific trophy-laden career at club level and his comparatively modest international scoring record for England.
Now, with Bernardo Silva gone, Rodri's future uncertain, and young talents like Rayan Cherki potentially ahead of him in the pecking order, Foden faces genuine competition for his place in Maresca's revamped midfield. Yet there may also be opportunity: City's World Cup contingent are only just returning to training, offering Foden a window to reestablish himself. A faster, more vertical style of play under Maresca could also suit his strengths.
Whether this season proves to be a resurgence or a continued decline, one thing seems certain — after years defined largely by Guardiola's shifting instructions, Foden may finally get the chance to define himself on his own terms.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.