Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Tripper react to Phil Foden’s training update at Man City
Phil Foden took to social media to share an update from the Man City training ground ahead of a clash with Brighton on Saturday.
Foden has been under pressure at Man City this season, with the 24-year-old’s performances not quite being up to par as Pep Guardiola’s side continue to struggle on the pitch.
Despite notching seven goals and two assists in the Premier League, and Erling Haaland still firing on all cylinders with 20 league goals, City have fallen to fifth in the table below Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
With Champions League qualification seriously on the line on the blue side of Manchester, Guardiola will not see a battle against the Seagulls anything less than a must-win on 15 March.
He will need all of his stars playing at their absolute best to get back to winning ways following the 1-0 defeat to Forest last time out, and Foden can lead by example in the final third.
Phil Foden looking ahead to all-important Brighton clash
Taking to Instagram [11 March], Foden shared images of himself remaining fit, captioned with battery and muscle emojis, preparing for a key clash against the Seagulls at the Etihad Stadium.
As well as receiving likes from teammates Omar Marmoush and Savinho, Newcastle United‘s Kieran Tripper and AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori also liked the post.
Pep Guardiola could be in his final season at Man City
Guardiola has already been tipped to leave Man City in the summer, with the Catalonian exhausting absolutely everything to finish the season on a high, but it just isn’t happening.
The Citizens have not been without Champions League football since the 2010/11 season, reaching the Europa League round of 16 instead, but that could certainly happen this term.
| Premier League standings | Points |
| 4. Chelsea | 49 |
| 5. Man City | 47 |
| 6. Newcastle | 47 |
| 7. Brighton | 46 |
| 8. Aston Villa | 45 |
| 9. Bournemouth | 44 |
With Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Brighton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Fulham all fighting for the top-four spots in the Premier League, it is unclear how the European race will finish.
If Guardiola is to stay with City this summer, he will likely have to undergo a huge squad rebuild, especially if the likes of Kevin De Bruyne end their long stay at Man City.
Qualifying for next season’s Champions League would go a long way to attracting the next generation of players to the Etihad once all the big-name stars begin to leave one-by-one.