“I want to” – Phil Foden reveals season aims after steady start to new Manchester City campaign

Manchester City’s Phil Foden has detailed his aims and desires for the ongoing season after a steady start to his campaign due to injury and opportunities being halted.

The England international was on the scoresheet once again for Manchester City when deployed by Pep Guardiola from the off in a UEFA Champions League encounter, following his encounter with Slovan Bratislava on matchday two.

Having added the second to a 0-4 rout in Slovakia, Foden then took the turn to open the scoring inside the opening three minutes against Czech Republic’s Sparta Prague at the Etihad Stadium in what would turn out to be a 5-0 win for the club.

It has however been a slow start to the season for Phil Foden, who saw his chances of playing grind to halt after the opening game of the Premier League season, with Manchester City crediting ‘illness’ for his absence.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the 5-0 win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday night, Foden admitted that after a season in which he was crowned Premier League and PFA Player of the Year, the expectations are now much higher than before when it comes to his output.

“Being the best player last year, that’s what everyone wants to see,” Foden said. “That’s the standard I’ve set, and I want to get back there.”

He continued, “The season’s long enough to get back to my level, and I just need to keep going and keep showing what I can do!”

On whether he feels the pressure of returning to those heights, the 24-year-old explained, “No… I just go out there and play my football, I don’t really think too much about what’s going on on the outside.

“I’m always putting pressure on myself to get better in training, do better things, and that’s just the type of person I am. I always want to push myself, and be even better!”

With Manchester City facing a growing injury list following the second international break, and Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku facing short-term absences, there is a huge chance that Foden will be called upon much more often immediately.

The Englishman is likely to start once again for Manchester City on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Southampton to the Premier League, with the hosts holding an intention to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.