Manchester City forward Phil Foden has so far struggled to scale anywhere near the heights of last season but manager Pep Guardiola believes his campaign is about to lift off.
Foden scored 28 goals for club and country in all competitions and was named PFA Player of the Year but has begun four of his five games this time on the bench with his only start coming against Watford in the League Cup.
Speaking ahead of City's Champions League clash away in Slovakia against Slovan Bratislava, Guardiola said he was not concerned, saying the 24-year-old is getting back up to speed.
"Maybe I can have some doubts in many things, but Phil Foden is going to be back! As much as he feels good, he will be back," Guardiola told reporters.
"I think in 30 minutes at St James' Park (against Newcastle on Saturday], I felt already something that I like that I didn't see for example against Watford."
Foden is yet to score this season but an away trip to Bratislava, beaten 5-1 in their opening game at Celtic, could be the moment for him to open his account.
"Don't forget after the Euros he didn't have any training for two months, he had problems with some niggles and some problems in his health," Guardiola said.
"But now he is smiling and he's in his rhythm. He was the best player in the Premier League last season so we need him, he was important for us, but I have no doubts with his love for football and his training and passion, he will be back."
City drew their opening Champions League group game 0-0 at home to Inter Milan and will be expected to dispatch of Bratislava on Tuesday with ease.
"I have incredible respect for all the teams in the Champions League especially when you play away," Guardiola said. "Hopefully we can be aggressive and take the result that we need.
"I have learned (in my career) that nothing is for granted. Nothing comes for free."
It was a theme continued by City defender John Stones who was part of the England team that came within seconds of losing to Slovakia in the last 16 of Euro 2024 in June before going on to win 2-1 and go all the way to the final.
"We know the quality that they've got. That game went right to the wire, they made it so difficult and we know that tomorrow night they will be well organised and it will be an incredible atmosphere," Stones said.
Meanwhile, Guardiola brushed off an unexpected comparison to Antoni Gaudi as he arrived in Slovakia for City's latest Champions League assignment.
Slovan Bratislava coach Vladimir Weiss Senior drew parallels between the work of the renowned Catalan architect – designer of Barcelona’s famous La Sagrada Familia cathedral – and the City boss ahead of Tuesday’s encounter between the two clubs.
"I would compare Pep to Antoni Gaudi," said Weiss at his pre-match press conference. "He’s been building something and he is a genius.
"Just like Gaudi had his idea of a cathedral, now he’s achieved what he wanted to do. He’s selected players who fit his philosophy."
Guardiola, who famously guided Barcelona to two Champions League titles and oversaw City’s success in the competition in 2023, was a little bemused at the analogy.
"No glass of wine for my colleague?" Guardiola joked. "I appreciated that a lot, but from Catalonia Gaudi was maybe the greatest."
Guardiola insisted the compliments would not detract him from his objective as City seek their first win of the league phase following their draw with Inter Milan a fortnight ago.
He said: "I want to say something honest – with this start of the press conference (it seems like) we are going to play a friendly game tomorrow.
"I’m a little bit concerned about that in terms of the questions about Gaudi and this kind of thing. It’s a competition!
"With this new format, I don’t know exactly how you handle it and how many points you need. At the end, it’s a competition.
"Perform well, improve on the bad things and that’s what I like most in my process."
City have travelled with a squad of 19, playmaker Kevin De Bruyne again missing with the pelvic injury suffered in the Inter game.
Guardiola remains unclear when the Belgium international will be able to return.
"For Fulham or after the international break, hopefully he will be OK," Guardiola said.
Additional reporting by PA
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
