Phil Foden said he is heading in the right direction but still a long way from his best after scoring a hat trick in Manchester City's 5-1 Champions League win over AEK Athens on Tuesday. After two indifferent seasons and a frustrating start to the current campaign, following his sending off in last month's Manchester derby, the midfielder has returned in style in recent days.
His strike in Saturday's victory over Ipswich was his first since last December, and his treble marked his first Champions League goals in almost 12 months. "Slowly, but surely," Foden told TNT Sports when asked if he was getting back to his best. "Still got a long way to go, but I'm going in the right direction."
Foden's struggles cost him a place in England's World Cup squad this summer, but Man City coach Enzo Maresca insisted the 26-year-old's talent was never in doubt. "I've said since day one, I consider him one of the best English players," Maresca told a news conference. "For different reasons in the last two or three years he was not good enough, but I know how good he is."
The win got City back on track after a home loss to Paris Saint-Germain last week. Elliot Anderson opened the scoring, Foden added a fine goal in the 34th minute, and he completed his hat trick 14 minutes from time. It was Foden's fourth career hat trick in all competitions, and his first since 2024.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing