Teammates 'worried' about England star's poor form and mystery issue this season
03/24/2025 04:57 AM
Phil Foden's mysterious drop-off in form this season has 'worried' his Manchester City teammates with his place in Thomas Tuchel's England side uncertain.
While he has still contributed a very respectable 10 goals and six assists this season, the dip in Foden's performances compared to last season has been noticeable.
His thrilling form in the 2024-25 campaign helped fire City to their fourth consecutive Premier League title, named Player of the Season with 27 goals to his name – including two on the final day of the season against West Ham United that wrapped up the title.
An underwhelming 2025-26 campaign for City follows a very average campaign for England at Euro 2024 last summer.
While the Three Lions reached the final, Foden's impact was minimal despite starting every game.
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Foden was straight back into the City side for the opening game of the season in August and revealed two months later he was still struggling with burnout having also missed games through illness early in the campaign.
In addition to mental fatigue, Foden is also struggling with an unspecified physical problem, according to the Daily Mail, with his City teammates 'privately worried' over their teammate.
Despite his poor season, Foden was named in Thomas Tuchel's first England XI on Friday night against Albania.
Both he and Marcus Rashford, back in the England fold after a year in exile, were both substituted in the second-half after largely anonymous displays.
The Three Lions host Latvia tonight with Foden's place in the side far from assured.
'I’ve spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, I think especially off the ball,' Tuchel said of Foden and Rashford.
'We can see in the numbers and when we watch the match again how much effort they put into defending high and to the counter-press.
'Also in their sprinting numbers, Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball where we did not see him or use him.
'Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum, at the moment, that he can have.
'But both of them are very positive, have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them. Ideally we try to bring them in more one-on-one situations.'
Foden and City return to club action on Sunday when they take on Bournemouth for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
