London, May 23: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to help Phil Foden return to prime form after the midfielder spoke about struggling on and off the pitch.
Foden, 24, said off-field issues and an ankle injury suffered against Manchester United in April contributed to him being below his best and he wants to get his head “mentally right”.
“It’s true, Phil said that and of course he has not been [at his best],” said Guardiola.
“[He hasn’t been at his best] not [just] for him, all of us, his family, for us – he’s a baby boy from the academy and become a star with us.
“We want to help him, that’s the most important thing. He needs rest and it’s going to happen now after Sunday.”City end a disappointing season with a trip to face Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday (kick-off 16:00 BST), knowing a point should clinch Champions League football for next season.On Friday, Foden was left out of England manager Thomas Tuchel’s squad for games against Andorra and Senegal in early June.
Tuchel said Foden needs time to recover from his ankle injury and to “re-find the joy in his game”.
Foden scored 19 Premier League goals to help City achieve an unprecedented fourth English top-flight title in a row last season.
He won the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Association player of the season awards, as well as being named in the PFA team of the year.
But he has managed only 10 goals across all competitions this term and has failed to score in his past 19 games for club and country – a run stretching back to January.
Foden said the season has been “difficult” and “frustrating”, adding that if “everything was OK” he would “definitely” have been better on the field.Guardiola added: “Step by step he is going to come back. I just want to help him, that is what we want.
“I don’t care about his performance on the pitch, I want him to feel good and after the rest will come in an easy way.”Following Foden’s omission from the England squad, Guardiola was asked if there was a conversation between club and country bosses.
“I don’t know about England national team,” Guardiola said. “It’s true he has been struggling a long time with his ankle.
“What happened with the national team belongs to Thomas.”England boss Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live that he and Foden had decided it would be better for the player to take “a bit of time off” in order to “let him breathe” and “clear his head”.The German boss said: “That hurts a lot because I love Phil as a person in camp, he was fantastic.” (Agencies)
