Midfielder has faced a difficult period but new show of faith by the club might be the perfect boost
Phil Foden will commit his future to Manchester City by signing a new four-year contract at the club. The deal has already been agreed in principle and will keep the England midfielder at the club until 2030. It is also understood to include an additional 12-month option.
The deal still needs to be finalised but it is an interesting development given exactly where the 25-year-old’s career is at the moment.
Foden has faced a difficult period, partly due to injuries and partly due to poor form, although the two might not be entirely unconnected. Since he played a central role in City’s title-winning campaign in 2023-24, collecting both the Football Writers’ Association and Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year awards, his career has been on a downward trajectory.
He has lost his regular place in the starting lineup under Pep Guardiola and looks unlikely to make England’s World Cup squad this summer. He has not started a Premier League match since the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on 4 March. He has been used mostly as a substitute, including in Monday’s 3-3 draw against Everton, Rayan Cherki taking his former position as the creative and exciting attacking young midfielder.
But this show of trust by the club means something. Foden has only ever played for his boyhood club and a new four-year deal signals belief in him. Guardiola, on his part, has continued to express confidence in the midfielder’s ability to regain his best level and this looks like the official confirmation that the manager and the club are indeed in the same position.
There appears to be hope still yet that the player can become the world-class star he always seemed destined to be since his debut for the club in 2017.
