Phil Foden is struggling at Manchester City, and the obvious reason for this is that the Premier League has become too physical for diminutive players.
English soccer is changing back to a more physical game, after an era where every team was trying to play the possession-based brand of soccer that Pep Guardiola introduced. Even Guardiola has had to amend his tactics, which has coincided with a drop in form from Foden.
Foden, at just 5 ft 7, has had a reduced role recently. He was left on the bench in both Champions League round of 16 ties with Real Madrid, which City lost. Again, he was benched for City's last Premier League game when they defeated Burnley 1-0.
The midfielder is being increasingly used only as a substitute this season. This has meant that he has scored just 10 goals with five assists in 45 games in all competitions this season.
Foden was City's player of the season in the 2023/24 campaign, where he found the back of the net 27 times with 13 assists in 43 matches. However, he may now need to seek a new club to ensure regular game time. Foden is not alone in this predicament, as Rico Lewis, who is the same height as Foden, is also expected to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer.
Where could Phil Foden go?
When Foden was starting at City and lacking game time, he was linked with some big clubs across Europe. This included Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, RB Leipzig, and Rangers. However, his decision to stick it out at City and learn from the best proved to be the right one.
Having a bit of patience may be what Foden needs right now. There are rumors that this could be Guardiola's final season at City, and whoever the new manager might be may want Foden in his lineup.
Foden has most recently been linked with Bayern Munich, who are managed by his former City teammate Vincent Kompany. Foden has played his entire career at City, so a move to Bayern could be an exciting prospect for him.
The England manager, Thomas Tuchel, has picked Foden in the recent international fixtures. He started against Uruguay and Japan in the last international break. It would be good for the Three Lions if Foden and Harry Kane could improve their chemistry by playing their club soccer together, too.
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