Phil Foden is lucky to still be in the England squad: Outgoing Premier League and PFA Player of the Year's future at Man City no longer certain after hugely disappointing season

Foden's exploits last season were made all the more impressive by the fact that 48 of his 53 appearances for City came as a starter. He also racked up 11 goal involvements across the Champions League and FA Cup, and registered a goal and an assist in City's 4-0 Club World Cup final over Brazilian giants Fluminense.

It was a herculean effort from Foden that understandably left him running on empty. He was ever-present for England at last summer's European Championship in Germany, too, so Foden's slow start to the current season was, on some level, to be expected.

Guardiola waited until the start of October to draft Foden back into his Premier League line up after seeing the playmaker battle through illness, and he produced a solid if unspectacular display in a 3-2 win over Fulham. Foden also scored in each of his first three starts in the Champions League, but that was as close as he got to building up any sort of rhythm in the first half of the campaign.

Foden didn't open his Premier League goal account until his 12th outing, on December 21, in City's 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa, which marked their ninth loss in 12 games across all competitions since November 2. The reigning champions were in crisis, and Guardiola was clear in his mind about the main reasons for their incredible fall from grace.

"We are playing this season without the best player of the Ballon d'Or, Rodri, and without the best player in England last season, Foden," It was no surprise to hear Guardiola blame City's struggles on Rodri's ACL injury, but his suggestion that Foden was no longer having any kind of meaningful impact on games was unexpected and uncharacteristically brutal.

Guardiola's strong words did appear to have the desired effect, though, as Foden reminded everyone of his class around the turn of the year. The England international scored six goals in as many Premier League games in January, including a vital effort in a 3-1 win over top-four rivals Chelsea, with Guardiola pleased to see the City academy graduate "happy again".

But Foden couldn't sustain it. He has failed to score in his last 11 appearances for City, with his performances ranging from mediocre to downright poor, and he is suddenly in real danger of becoming a regular bench-warmer. Indeed, Foden had to make do with brief cameos in the 1-0 win at Tottenham on February 26 and Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brighton.

"Listen, all the managers around the world, when they select 11 players, they have to believe that they are going to win," Guardiola replied when quizzed on his decision to name Foden among the substitutes for the Seagulls' visit to the Etihad Stadium. "I never found a manager who selects a team thinking it's going to lose. If we win I am right - if we don't, it could be better."

Guardiola has long been known for his tinkering, but more often than not, he fields his most trusted players in the most important matches. The home game against European hopefuls Brighton fell into that bracket, and Foden was once again overlooked in favour of Omar Marmoush - the £59 million ($77m) winter signing who has quickly emerged as Haaland's new right-hand man.

Foden started unlocking his full potential after being shifted into the No.10 spot at City, but that evolution is now counting against him. Marmoush has looked far more effective in behind Haaland since his arrival at the Etihad, scoring four goals in his first seven Premier League appearances, and Foden is going to have to seriously up his game to usurp the Egyptian.

It's difficult to see Foden getting a look-in on the flanks, either, given the presence of Savinho and Jeremy Doku, plus the fact that Marmoush is also versatile enough to operate on both wings. If he doesn't snap back into life, Foden could end up an outcast at City like his England team-mate Jack Grealish, who has fallen so far down the pecking order that a summer exit feels inevitable.

Veteran trio Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are still competing for minutes in midfield, too, while Nico Gonzalez, or 'mini-Rodri' as some fans have already dubbed him, has impressed in a holding role since his £50m ($65m) arrival from Porto on the final day of the winter window.

Guardiola is still working out how to shape his new-look side, but all the signs point to him embracing a more direct, unpredictable style of play in a bid to transform City back into Europe's most fearsome team, and it's not at all clear how Foden will figure into his plans at this stage.

Foden's struggles can be traced back to the Euros, where he dramatically underperformed as England stumbled all the way through the final, before being taught a footballing lesson against deserved winners Spain. Foden failed to notch a single goal or assist at the tournament, rarely showed any of his usual quality on the ball, and didn't do enough to help the team without it.

However, Sir Gareth Southgate was at least partly at fault for Foden's failure. Instead of deploying Foden in the central role he'd caused so much damage in for City last term, the England boss stationed him on the left in a safety-first 4-2-3-1 system in the first four games of the tournament.

Jude Bellingham took Foden's preferred No.10 slot, and they spent most of the time getting in each other's way as England toiled for any kind of fluidity going forward. Understandably, Foden still harbours some bitterness towards Southgate for how things played out, as he told the Manchester Evening News in January: "I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it. The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game. Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to. I’m one who can play multiple positions and had to try to deal with it the best I could. I don’t feel like England ever got going or performed to our potential."

Foden was certainly a victim of Southgate's pragmatism, but that doesn't excuse him for shrinking in the face of adversity. A player of Foden's calibre should have been able to rise above the limitations of the tactical blueprint and take games by the scruff of the neck when his country needed him most.

Foden went on to admit that the gruelling experience in Germany took a toll on him, both physically and mentally. "I’m normally itching to get back, but when I came back my body and my mental state was low. For me, football is played with the brain and when the brain is mentally fatigued you’re not going to see a player for who he is," he added.

"I had a bit of rest, just to give my body time to recover. I took the start of the season very slowly, I didn’t play much and I was just resting and trying to get back to myself. My body just didn’t feel how I was used to and it’s something that I’ve had to deal with. I feel that’s the reason why I had a slow start to the season. I missed periods at the start of the season so I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to get going. I’ve slowly been getting back to myself."

It's been almost two months since Foden gave that interview, and he looks further away from his best self than ever. Guardiola has been very patient with the diminutive attacker up to now, and Foden still has plenty of credit left in the bank at City after playing a key role in the most successful period in the club's history, but something has to change.

Perhaps Tuchel's vote of confidence will be the catalyst for it. The new England manager included Foden in his first 26-man squad for the start of 2026 World Cup qualifying despite the City star's ongoing decline, and two good performances against Albania and Lativia could reignite the fire in his belly.

Foden will, however, have to play much better than he did in the October international break. England suffered their first and only defeat under interim boss Lee Carsley as Greece emerged 2-1 victors at Wembley in the Nations League, and Foden was arguably the worst player on the pitch. Carsley hauled the City man off after 72 minutes with England 1-0 down, having seen the midfielder fail to register a shot or create a single chance. Three days later, England produced a much-improved display to beat Finland 3-1 away from home, with Foden restricted to just 10 minutes from the bench.

England fans have yet to witness Foden reach the same heights that he has at City down the years. He has amassed a very respectable haul of 43 caps at a young age, but has only scored four international goals, which is simply not good enough.

Foden kept getting in the squad purely on the strength of his influence at City, but now that has also dwindled, his place could come under serious threat. He cannot afford to waste the chance Tuchel has given him, or let the final few months of the club season pass him by without stamping a lasting mark.

It's no exaggeration to say that Foden is now playing for his future with England and City. Guardiola once called Foden "the most talented player I've ever seen" ahead of Lionel Messi, and for so long he lived up to that billing at the Etihad. He has time on his side to get back to that level, but if Foden's not careful, last year's PFA nod will be remembered as the moment he peaked.