Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden says he has regained his motivation following a challenging 2024-25 campaign that saw the club finish without a major trophy. The 25-year-old scored within two minutes of City\'s 2-0 Club World Cup victory over Wydad AC on Wednesday.
Foden struggled to match his career-best form from the previous season when he was named PFA Player of the Year. He scored 19 Premier League goals in 2023-24 but experienced what he described as mental and off-pitch difficulties during City\'s trophy-less campaign.
The England international credited a brief rest period during June\'s international break as crucial to his recovery. Thomas Tuchel did not select Foden for England\'s fixtures against Andorra and Senegal, giving him rare time away from football.
“It was a difficult season, I’m not going to lie. It was not the best,” Foden told reporters after Wednesday’s Club World Cup win at Lincoln Financial Field. “I got a little bit of time off, rested. New start, new me, so (I’m) just looking forward to the season.
“The hunger inside me is back and I want to prove people wrong. Hopefully that can happen. It’s only just the first game, so, there’s still so many games to go but I can see the concentration in everyone’s faces in training. We want to try and put last year behind us and get back to how we used to. So, the determination is definitely there.”
Foden played in a deeper midfield role alongside new signing Tijjani Reijnders against Wydad. The position required him to operate as a holding midfielder when City were out of possession, a departure from his usual attacking responsibilities.
\"It\'s different from what I\'m used to,\" Foden said. \"Obviously, when they had the ball, I was playing as a holding midfielder with a two. So, it\'s something I\'ve not been used to but I enjoyed it.\"
Manchester City will face Al Ain on Sunday in their second Club World Cup fixture as they attempt to claim their first major trophy since 2023-24.