Foden wants the armband: “I have to be one of the leaders”

Phil Foden is ready to be a captain. Speaking in Seoul ahead of City's friendly with a K-League All Stars side, the 26-year-old was asked whether the role interested him and did not hedge: “I think I have to be, really.”

The context is a dressing room stripped of its senior voices. Last season's captain Bernardo Silva has left, and experienced defenders John Stones and Nathan Ake have both moved on. Foden, who debuted in November 2017 and is about to begin his tenth season in the senior squad, is now one of the last men standing from the old core.

“Obviously I have been in the club for so long, I am one of the last remaining players to have been here for a long time,” he said. “So I think I have to be this season — one of the leaders, one of the captains or in and around it for sure. I am looking forward to that new responsibility.”

He has already worn it on tour, captaining City in the 1-1 draw with Inter in Hong Kong that ended in a shootout defeat, and says the brief from Maresca for now is behavioural rather than tactical: “To try to train well, keep my head down and work hard and set a good example to the young lads.”

On the football itself, Foden describes evolution rather than revolution. “It's very similar to how we played under Pep, but there are still things that are a bit different. Maybe the defending's a bit different, the way we set up. We have different ideas about how to play out from the back.”

For a player whose entire senior career has had one voice in his ear, that reset is the interesting part. “All I have known is Pep Guardiola, so to go to a new manager is a fresh start. I like the ideas and the way we are playing.” City close their Asia tour against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.