Man City handed ‘huge‘ Phil Foden boost
Man City manager Enzo Maresca has helped Phil Foden back to his best and the club want him to stay for the foreseeable future, sources have told Football Insider.
Foden's form has dropped off a cliff since the start of 2026, leading to doubts around his long-term future at Man City.
The club's ongoing legal battle against the Premier League has added further uncertainty to the situation too.
He has looked like a completely different player over the last week, however, scoring in their win over Ipswich and then bagging a hat-trick in the Champions League against AEK Athens.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, Foden is settled again at City and will be a key player under Maresca this season.
He is still under contract with the club until 2030 and is set to try to break back into the England squad ahead of November's international break.
Phil Foden's upturn in form is ideal for Enzo Maresca
City need Foden firing on all cylinders as they look to return to Premier League glory this season ahead of Arsenal.
The 26-year-old has scored more goals in his last two City appearances than he did in the previous 39 up to December last year, and long may it continue for Maresca this season.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "It’s going to be a huge boost. Foden, just a couple of seasons ago, was named PFA Player of the Year. Form is temporary, class is permanent, and I think that's the case with him.
"It's just a matter of getting back to his rhythm and everything else. Maybe we will see a hungry Foden as well now. He's been left out in the wilderness by England in recent squads, so he’ll have a point to prove there as well, to try and break back into that."
Maresca is keeping Foden close as he rediscovers his top form
Maresca has the Citizens purring in the final third, with Foden the last big-name attacker to adapt his training methods to devastating effect.
The Blues boss has made it clear that he wants to keep helping the England playmaker improve, as he knows just how good he can be.
Speaking about his better recent performances this week, he said: "Since we started, I sat down with Phil two or three times, especially at the beginning, just to show him, I don't know if love is the right word to use, but to show him how important he is.
"I know Phil from years ago, so I know how good he is. For different reasons, the last few years he was not good enough but I think when you have players like Phil available you are a better team because it's a matter of improving players. For me, it's my duty to try to help him to be one of the best players in England again."