What's happened to Phil Foden? Pep Guardiola issues 'I'm desperate' plea for Man City hero to find form again

Reported by ESPN, Guardiola spoke of how Foden is "the first he looks for" as he hopes for the 25-year-old to soon return to the form which saw him blow away teams across the Premier League just over a year ago. His 19 league goals in that particular campaign reduced to just seven last season, while Foden has only made one appearance so far in this season amidst persistent knocks delaying his return to full fitness.

With Kevin De Bruyne having departed and long-term stalwarts such as Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva coming towards the end of their City careers, Foden has been left as one of Guardiola's chief creative outlets and most important attacking players. 

Having played for the club since the age of four, Foden came through as a boy learning from the likes of De Bruyne and David Silva. As he heads towards his prime years, Guardiola knows it is time for Foden to step up with "hunger" to become the man.

Guardiola said: "He's the first I'm looking for. I'm desperate for Phil to feel happy and [play with] the joy, and that in every training session he's smiling, his face, and can contribute. One of the reasons why we struggled last season was because we missed him a lot in the final third, in the creativity, in our work ethic. He's top with that.

"We have a glimpse of, 'Oh, he's coming back' after the knock, but one week then he stops. After he comes back, another knock. All the players that come back have to play games and be [involved] day by day, that is what we have to try to do. He has to try anyway."

Foden is believed to be in contention to return in Sunday's Manchester derby, which kicks off at 16:30 BST at the Etihad. He made a brief cameo off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur but has otherwise not featured since scoring three goals in the Club World Cup over the summer. This could prove to be an important season in Foden's career as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2024/25.