Phil Foden is reportedly ‘ready to move abroad’ if he doesn’t get ‘assurances regarding his playing time’ under Pep Guardiola.

Foden was named Premier League player of the season after his standout performances for Manchester City in the 2023/24 season but has suffered a dramatic dip in form over the last two campaigns. A market value which peaked at €150m now stands at just €80m.

He revealed he had struggled with his mental health last term and after a brief uptick in his performances this season he looks to be back in the doldrums as the arrival of Rayan Cherki in the summer has pushed him further down the pecking order.

The 25-year-old has started just one of eight games in all competitions and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney said he “felt sorry” for Foden when he was introduced in the 90th minute of the Citizens’ triumph over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup as he claimed it was akin to “a charity sub”.

Foden looked as short of ideas for England as he has done for City in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday, while his replacement Cole Palmer looked bright to put Foden’s place in the World Cup squad in serious doubt.

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And there’s also uncertainty over his future at the Etihad according to Football Insider, who claim ‘he’s ready to move abroad is his contract situation cannot be resolved’.

The playmaker will have just one year left to run on his current deal come the end of the season and the report claims ‘City are likely to accelerate towards a new deal for Foden in the coming months’ and are ‘keen to avoid the possibility of him heading elsewhere’.

But having become ‘frustrated by his lack of game time’ it’s claimed he is ‘prepared to move abroad if he and the club cannot reach an agreement in the coming months’.

Foden is ‘keen to seek assurances regarding his playing time’ before he signs a new deal.

Sources from inside the club have told former Everton chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – why Foden’s form has dipped of late.

He told Football Insider: “The stories and the people I’ve spoken to, my contacts at City, are all saying it’s just confidence.

“He’s definitely had a huge dip in personal confidence. Often I’ve seen it once or twice with players that I’ve had at clubs.

“Obviously I’ve never been the manager, but I’ve been close to the managers, and I’ve talked it through with them. They’ve seen players get what you call imposter syndrome where they suddenly can’t believe that they are as good as everybody thinks they are and as well as they play.

“They start not believing in themselves anymore and they start to doubt their abilities, and it’s often connected with problems in their personal life, and I think Foden has had some of those, and I think there’s just that lack of confidence that has ebbed away.

“Suddenly he just doesn’t start to believe in himself and Foden, to me, has always been one of those sort of bulletproof, overly confident players who’s thrived on that and if that’s missing from his game mentally, then he’s no longer the player he was, but it can come back, and I hope it does come back.

“I think he’s a joy to watch when he comes in and he starts doing the things that you think are impossible and he manages to do them.”

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