Maresca reveals one-on-one meetings that reignited Phil Foden at Manchester City

Enzo Maresca sat down with Phil Foden on two or three occasions at the beginning of the season to personally reassure the midfielder of his value, the Manchester City manager has revealed. The intervention appears to be bearing fruit: Foden has scored four goals in his last two appearances after returning from a red card in the Manchester derby.

Foden endured a difficult second half of last season, fading badly after a bright opening stretch, and was also left out of England’s World Cup squad. Maresca, who said he has known Foden for years, made a point of calling him when that international omission was announced and then followed up with face-to-face meetings once pre-season began.

“Since we started I sat down with Phil two or three times, especially at the beginning just to show him — I’m not sure that love is the right word to use — but just to show him how important he is,” Maresca said. “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.”

Maresca framed the responsibility as a core part of his job, not an optional extra. “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.”

Foden started five of City’s first six league fixtures this season, a run of involvement that contrasts sharply with his peripheral role under Pep Guardiola in the second half of last term. Maresca was careful to temper expectations, noting the season is long and that consistent availability matters as much as individual performances.

“The important thing is that when we decide to use Phil or another player they are ready,” he added. “And I think for the players it’s also important that they are happy and they enjoy football.”

Whether Foden can sustain this level across a full campaign remains to be seen — his trajectory last season showed how quickly form can slip — but Maresca’s deliberate man-management approach has at least given the Stockport-born playmaker a visible platform to rebuild his confidence.