Phil Foden's Fresh Start: Ready to Repay Manchester City

Phil Foden isn’t hiding. New contract signed, World Cup disappointment still raw, a new manager in the dugout – and the Manchester City star has made it clear he wants all of that to fuel the best version of himself.

The 24-year-old spoke with the calm of someone who knows exactly where he stands, and exactly what is expected of him.

“It has made me feel relaxed and I can just concentrate on being the best version of me and give back to the football club for them trusting in me,” he told BBC Sport, reflecting on his fresh deal. “It is nice to see the support from the club and obviously it means a lot. It's about time I try and repay them and give back to the club.”

That word – repay – hung in the air. Foden has already delivered titles, goals, and big-game moments, but he clearly believes there is another level to reach, another responsibility to shoulder as the squad evolves around him.

Maresca, familiarity and a “fresh start”

Change has swept through City, but for Foden, one key figure feels reassuringly familiar. Enzo Maresca’s arrival offers both a new direction and an old connection.

“Very good – a fresh start, a new manager and up to now, really enjoying it,” Foden said. “It is very strange but I know Enzo from before, so that also helps. I know him quite well and what [he] is about. That has definitely helped, to have that relationship with him.”

In a dressing room adjusting to a different voice and a different rhythm on the training pitch, that pre-existing bond matters. Foden doesn’t need an introduction to Maresca’s ideas or personality. He already understands the demands.

And Maresca, crucially, has already shown he understands the player.

A manager’s touch after World Cup heartbreak

Foden’s omission from England’s 2026 World Cup squad stung. For a player of his status, that sort of setback can linger. Maresca chose not to leave that moment untouched.

“He [Maresca] reached out just after to see if it was OK, which was very nice of him, to show us this character and the person he is,” Foden revealed. “He cares about everyone and wants to have a good relationship with the team.”

That small gesture tells its own story. Before systems, tactics and pressing triggers, Maresca moved to build trust. For a club chasing the highest honours again, that kind of connection between star player and head coach can tilt a season.

“We can win everything”

City enter this campaign in transition but not in retreat. Big names have gone, others have stepped up, and Foden now speaks like a man ready to sit closer to the top of the dressing-room hierarchy.

Ambition, though, has not shifted an inch.

“I think we can win everything, but it's obviously hard. We have still got an unbelievable team,” he said.

No caveats. No talk of rebuilding years. Just a blunt assessment from a player who has lived inside a winning machine and sees no reason why it should slow down now.

Relaxed by his contract, re-energised by a “fresh start” and stung by international disappointment, Foden sounds like a footballer on a mission. The question for the rest of the league is simple: if this is him trying to “repay” City, how much more damage can he do at his peak?