Guardiola explains Phil Foden injury developments

Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola has expressed his hope that midfielder Phil Foden will be ready to play for the team after the international break, raising doubts about the player’s participation with the England national team in the European Nations League.

Foden suffered from illness in the early rounds of the current season, as he missed the team’s matches against Ipswich Town and then West Ham in the English Premier League, after playing for 45 minutes in the first match against Chelsea.

Manchester City were not affected by Foden’s absence, as they made a great start to the season, and Guardiola is confident that the best player in the English Premier League season 2024/2023 will be ready as soon as possible.

Foden scored 19 goals and made eight goals in the 2024/2023 season, and scored three goals (hat-tricks) against Brentford and Aston Villa, as City performed perfectly on their way to winning the title. Foden is on England manager Lee Carsley’s squad for the Republic of Ireland and Finland games, but Guardiola is unsure whether he will feature in those games.

Asked how long City fans will have to wait to see Foden play again, Guardiola said: “I hope it won’t be too long, I hope he will be ready after the international break.”

“He played against Chelsea for 45 minutes but he didn’t feel good afterwards. He had scans and he feels better, but he’s not in perfect condition yet.”

“I’d prefer him to have time to recover and be okay, and come back after the international break and be ready for the games.”

City host Brentford in the Premier League on September 14 before hosting Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium in their first Champions League match four days later.