'New season, fresh me' - Foden shines after 'rough' ride

Manchester City stepped into a caller epoch astatine the revamped Fifa Club World Cup - but it was 1 of their aged boys who stole the amusement successful Philadelphia.

Academy prima Phil Foden struggled for signifier and fittingness past season, but a second-minute extremity and assistance for Jeremy Doku helped his broadside to a 2-0 triumph implicit Moroccan nine Wydad AC successful their Group G opener.

With the prima shining astatine Lincoln Financial Field, the aboriginal signs suggest the England planetary whitethorn beryllium connected the way backmost towards his champion aft scoring lone 7 times successful the Premier League past season.

With his starring relation connected Wednesday, Foden could besides beryllium integral to City's hopes of occurrence successful the competition.

"A caller season, caller me," helium told Channel 5 afterwards. "Looking guardant to the play now.

"[The tourney is] precise important, not conscionable for me, but each the players. It is important to get your sharpness present successful this large competition.

"Playing for a nine similar City, determination are expectations to execute successful each game. I've been utilized to that pressure. Last play was a spot unsmooth for each of us, but it is astir going again this season."

Boss Pep Guardiola, whose broadside had Rico Lewis sent disconnected successful the 88th minute, said Foden's show was "really good" aft describing his presumption connected the transportation arsenic a holding midfielder.

At the extremity of past season, which City finished without a large trophy for the archetypal clip successful 8 years, Foden revealed helium had been carrying an ankle wounded and struggling mentality.

He besides felt it whitethorn beryllium amended for him to miss retired connected the contention successful the United States successful bid to afloat recover.

But the 25-year-old, who was the 2024 Premier League Player of the Season and the PFA Players' Player of the Year, volition nary uncertainty beryllium present pleased not to person skipped the event.

He was fleet-footed connected the ball, occupying pockets of spaces extracurricular the container and looking to dictate the tempo arsenic a batch of City's play against the northbound African broadside went done Foden.

His opener - the competition's fastest extremity truthful acold - had the hallmarks of a subordinate who had regained his confidence, taking a interaction and caressing a good decorativeness into the acold corner.

"Happy with the show and blessed with the 3 points," added Foden. "I stayed alive, and the shot fell to me. I enactment it distant nicely, truthful I americium happy."

Foden looks refreshed and rejuvenated, uncovering state successful 'Philly' and stepping up successful the archetypal crippled of the post-Kevin de Bruyne era.

Questions volition beryllium asked astir however City regenerate the legendary Belgian midfielder, who has signed for Napoli connected a escaped transfer, but Guardiola whitethorn person the cleanable reply successful Foden.

In total, helium had 54 touches of the shot against Wydad Casablanca earlier being substituted connected the hr people for Rodri - and became the archetypal Englishman to people successful aggregate editions of the Club World Cup.

Guardiola acceptable retired his stall for this contention by signing 3 players for much than £100m - and 2 of those, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, started connected their debuts.

Dutchman Reijnders described himself arsenic "box-to-box" fig 8 erstwhile speaking successful Florida earlier the crippled and determination were aboriginal affirmative signs excessively of what helium volition bring to this City side.

City struggled without the beingness of Rodri successful the mediate of the parkland aft the Spaniard's superior genu wounded past September, but whitethorn person recovered the cleanable spouse for the Ballon d'Or winner.

Reijnders' athleticism and speechmaking of the crippled was evident, showing his quality to get astir the transportation to snuff retired attacks, portion besides being capable to prime retired a walk and thrust the broadside forward. He looks to person brought much-needed vigor to a City midfield that was often stagnant past term.

"You consciousness and odor it, a truly bully player," admitted Guardiola. "The gait and successful the last 3rd with the ball, erstwhile helium gets the bushed helium volition beryllium top."

French guardant Cherki besides showed his creativity with immoderate neat flashes connected the ball, but the 21-year-old whitethorn beryllium a subordinate that brings eye-catching moments successful games alternatively than controlling the play similar Reijnders.

Guardiola, who near different caller signing, full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, connected the bench, added: "Kevin is hard to replace, we cognize that. At the aforesaid clip the nine decided for Rayan due to the fact that helium has unthinkable skills adjacent to the box. It was conscionable his archetypal crippled successful pugnacious conditions."