[Gossip Board] Mirror: Foden Is To Manchester City What Gerrard Is To Liverpool, I Believe He Can Return To The Top

On May 5, Hupu learned that Andy Dunn, the chief reporter of the English media "Mirror", wrote a column related to Foden's contract renewal.

Phil Foden came on as a substitute against Everton last night.

Although it was not a stunning substitute appearance, he caused enough trouble for Everton within 25 minutes, which fully demonstrated that his self-confidence has not been exhausted during this very testing low period of his career. Although Pep Guardiola generally does not make too drastic changes to the starting eleven at this stage of the season, there is a strong possibility that Phil Foden will start against Brentford on Saturday night.

He will be a key part of Manchester City's final three weeks of the season and will be a vital part of Thomas Tuchel's and England's squad this summer.

The news that Foden has agreed to sign a contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2030 and possibly beyond is undoubtedly great news for Manchester City fans. Despite his completely different personalities, Foden means to Manchester City what Steven Gerrard means to Liverpool.

It is easy for someone to sneer at such a statement. After all, for a long period of time, no player in the Liverpool lineup was more important than Gerrard.

As the leader of the team, he is the backbone of the team. However, at the moment, it is obvious that Foden’s role in Manchester City cannot be given the same evaluation.

Foden, however, is a clear symbol of the club's undying foundation, which represents continuity and is the concrete manifestation of the academy's philosophy. This young local man who emerged in his own youth training system already has six Premier League championship medals. As an important part of the team, he also won two FA Cups, five League Cups and one Champions League with the team.

Until the end of this month, he has just turned 26 years old. He has won both the PFA, the English Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year, and the FWA, the English Football Writers Association Player of the Year, in the 2023-24 season.

Given that Foden has participated in a large number of high-intensity events and is still at an elite level, it is understandable that he has experienced a decline in form, even if he has experienced a long period of sluggishness. Foden has played 49 times for the England national team, and his senior team appearances have far exceeded 400 times. For a 25-year-old player, this is an astonishing statistic that will cause great physical and psychological damage.

To be precise, his data this season is not impressive enough. At least not in the last few months. However, with overall statistics such as 10 goals and 5 assists in 46 appearances, it will definitely not be called a disaster.

And he won't lose that game-changing ability overnight. There is still a lot of discussion about his prospects of participating in the World Cup.

In October last year, Tuchel did exclude Foden and Jude Bellingham from a certain squad, but this seemed more like a gentle knock. This was a signal to the team's signature stars. In Tuchel's team, no one's position is absolutely stable.

Tuchel has always admired Foden. When Foden went to the United States with the England team, it became his fourth World Series, and he will definitely go. Under the situation of needing to select 23 non-goalkeeper players, Tuchel will never leave world-class talents at home.

Foden is a world-class talent. At the same time, he should be able to maintain his relatively abundant physical fitness during Manchester City's sprint phase and World Cup tasks. Since March 4, Foden has not made a starting appearance in the Premier League.

What is likely to change this weekend is that with his long-term future now settled, Manchester City and England fans should see a new Phil Foden, a re-energized Phil Foden.