Manchester City face a late battle to get star forward Phil Foden match-ready in time for their UEFA Champions League debut against Inter this week.

The England international has been absent for the most part of Manchester City’s opening five competitive fixtures this season, having briefly appeared during the matchday one win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge from the substitutes bench.

A long-standing illness meant Phil Foden would be kept aside from the Manchester City first-team before also withdrawing from Lee Carsley’s first England squad during the recent international break.

However, having returned to first-team training last week and having been named among Manchester City’s substitutes for the 2-1 home win over Brentford on Saturday afternoon, some were left somewhat surprised by the 24-year-old not making an appearance on the field.

Speaking after the latest victory in Premier League action, manager Pep Guardiola revealed that despite ‘feeling good’, Foden had not undertaken ‘too many training sessions’ ahead of a potential return to Manchester City match action.

“He feels good, but he didn’t train not too many training sessions. So it’s step by step,” Guardiola said. “But I’m… come on, I’m delighted that he’s back! I need him, we need him desperately.”

The Manchester City boss continued on Foden, “This player is so important for us, and it’s important that he started to train this week and three, four, or five training sessions. And the game was tight, and the game was in situations difficult, and I decided for other options.”

Phil Foden will no doubt be a crucial component of Pep Guardiola’s plans this season, and particularly in the coming weeks as Manchester City look to re-acclimatise to the hectic schedule of playing two matches per week.

It remains to be seen whether Foden will be deemed match ready for the visit of Inter Milan to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night however, with only a handful of preparation sessions scheduled before the Champions League bow this season.

Arsenal will then make the trip north to the Etihad Stadium in the first head-to-head between the two sides this season on Sunday afternoon, before Watford are Manchester City’s opponents just 49 hours later in the Carabao Cup third round.

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Pep Guardiola: Jack Grealish will return to Manchester City side when performances improve

ByBen Southby

Published 27/02/2024 at 09:38 GMT+1

Pep Guardiola has warned Jack Grealish that he must hit the ground running when he makes his return to Manchester City’s starting line-up if he is to hold down his place in the team. Grealish has struggled to break into Man City’s starting 11 this season and has started just seven Premier League matches. “I cannot give players three or four games to get their rhythm,” Guardiola said.

Pep Guardiola feels Jack Grealish’s recent performances do not warrant a place in Manchester City’s starting 11, as the midfielder finds himself struggling for game time.

Grealish has not started a Premier League game since the end of December against Sheffield United in a 2-0 win, one of his seven league starts this term.

The Spanish manager has put Grealish’s lack of minutes down to his performances, which he says must improve if he wants to return to the side.

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“He is the same player, he has the same manager, and the way we play has not changed,” Guardiola explained.

“It’s just the way he has performed. That’s the difference.

“I said from day one, we need him. He has a special quality for our team. But it depends on him. Hopefully, he can do a good last three months.”

Grealish, who joined Man City from Aston Villa in 2021 for a then-British record of £100 million, started 28 top-flight games in City’s treble-winning season last campaign.

The England international started both the FA Cup and Champions League finals but has failed to feature in Man City’s star-studded line-up from the start since the turn of the year, and most recently spent wins against Brentford and at Bournemouth on the bench.

“I cannot give players three or four games to get their rhythm,” Guardiola added. “They have to find the rhythm to play for 20 minutes or 90.

“At a high level, the team don’t wait to be fit. You cannot give someone three or four games to be fit. What about the 10 who don’t play? They deserve not to play?

“You have to see the training sessions and all the small details. The players don’t have to convince me. They have to convince themselves that they deserve to play.”

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The 28-year-old’s last start came against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, where City claimed a 3-1 first-leg advantage.

He lasted just 21 minutes before he was replaced by Jeremy Doku after picking up an injury, Guardiola revealed.

“[His form] started a little bit late, but in the last month Jack is back in terms of many things, that’s why he played an important game in the Champions League in Copenhagen.

“Unfortunately, he had a setback in 10-15 minutes.”

Next, Man City travel to Luton Town in the FA Cup on Tuesday, which could be a good opportunity for a fresh Grealish to get some minutes from the start.

In City’s last visit to Kenilworth Road, Grealish played 90 minutes and scored one of his three league goals this campaign in a narrow 2-1 win.

He has scored three goals and has provided two assists in 26 games in all competitions this season, 19 of which he has started.

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