Enzo Maresca says candid talks have helped Phil Foden rediscover form ahead of Aston Villa trip

Enzo Maresca said on 22 October 2026 he had held candid conversations with Phil Foden to help the midfielder recover his form ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime. Foden has scored four goals in his past two games for City.

“Since we started I sat down with Phil two or three times, especially at the beginning,” said Maresca, who knew Foden from a spell as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. Foden, 26, has struggled over the past two years but won the Professional Footballers’ Association players’ player of the year award in 2023-24, and recent goals have raised hopes of a return to higher levels of performance.

“Maybe love is not the right word to use but just to show him how important he is. “I said many times that I know Phil from years ago so I know how good he is. For different reasons the last few years he was not good enough but again I think when you have more players like Phil available you are a better team because at the end it’s a matter of improving players. If you improve the players you improve the team, so for me it’s my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England. But it’s not just about one game – the season is very long.”

Under Maresca, City’s only competitive defeat came against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League; they have seven straight Premier League victories and sit three points clear at the top of the table. Those league results form the backdrop to squad selection questions ahead of the next fixture.

Erling Haaland was fit after he sat on the bench for Wednesday’s Champions League win over AEK Athens, while Maresca said he was waiting to find out whether Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly would be available after missing the AEK game. Squad availability for the attacking positions remains a consideration for selection.

Foden faces competition for places in the City attack, with Maresca naming Rayan Cherki among those challenging for roles and describing him as “one of the best players in Europe”. That competition is cited as a reason for the need for consistent performances to retain a starting slot.

“The mood is good, we are happy with our start but we are still hungry for more wins,” Maresca said, as City prepare to visit Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime.