Phil Foden Aims for Payback Season Under Maresca

Phil Foden has never been short of medals or acclaim at Manchester City. What he wants now is something more personal: payback.

Not the angry kind. The grateful kind.

Fresh from signing a new four-year deal that ties him to Etihad Stadium until 2030, the 26-year-old says he feels a responsibility to reward the club for standing by him through a difficult spell in front of goal.

“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,” Foden said. “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.”

Those words land differently when you remember the heights he reached not so long ago.

In 2023-24, Foden hit 19 goals as City powered to yet another Premier League title. He walked away with the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award and the league’s player of the season prize, the kind of double that usually cements a player among the elite.

The last two campaigns have told a more complicated story. Ten goals last term, but none in his last 31 appearances for club and country. For a player whose game has been built on timing, instinct and a ruthless streak in the box, that drought has weighed heavily.

City’s response? Not to hesitate, not to hedge, but to commit. A fresh contract, long-term, at the very moment his numbers dipped.

That faith has clearly struck a chord.

From Guardiola’s Prodigy to Maresca’s Project

Foden’s journey is stitched into the fabric of the Guardiola era. Handed his debut at 17 by Pep Guardiola, the academy product grew into one of the symbols of City’s dominance. Six Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups and 369 appearances later, he stands as one of the most decorated players of his generation.

Now the man who shaped that era has gone. Guardiola walked away at the end of last season. In his place: Enzo Maresca, an Italian coach with a very different profile but a familiar face inside the building.

Maresca returns to City having previously worked in the academy and as a first-team assistant. For some, that might soften the shock of transition. For Foden, it does more than that.

Asked how he was feeling this summer, he replied: “Very good – a fresh start, a new manager and up to now, really enjoying it. 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.”

The phrase “fresh start” lingers. It suggests more than just a new voice on the training pitch. It hints at a reset, a chance to step out from the long shadow of Guardiola’s perfectionism and redefine his role at the heart of a new project.

A New Chapter, Same Demands

The numbers tell you Foden has already lived several careers at City: teenage prodigy, super-sub, title-winning starter, award-laden talisman. This next chapter asks a different question.

Can he be the face of the post-Guardiola City? Can he turn that desire to “repay” into goals, leadership and the kind of performances that drag a side through a transition?

The club have made their bet. They’ve tied one of their own to the Etihad until 2030, trusting that the player who lit up 2023-24 is still in there, waiting for the right spark.

With Maresca back on familiar ground and Foden talking about a fresh start rather than a backward glance, that spark may not be far away.