Foden’s descent down the Manchester City pecking order is a complicated one.
Come the end of the month, he may have racked up his highest number of appearances in a season across all club competitions, but in terms of starts and minutes played, this will be far from his most prominent campaign.
He is level on goals with Rayan Cherki, a player widely considered to be enjoying a fine first season in English football. Excluding last summer’s Club World Cup, Foden has made more starts than Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and January signing Antoine Semenyo.
And yet, it feels like he is on the periphery of City’s title challenge.
Clearly, Guardiola still feels there is a role for Foden, and a new contract is a strong endorsement of the Englishman’s undoubted talents.
But what is that role? And is Foden doing enough when he is on the pitch?
The 25-year-old set a high bar with his performances in City’s Treble-winning 2023-24 season, registering a career-high 27 goals and 12 assists. The subsequent two years have been less productive, and Foden’s function in the side has changed.
The pacier options of Doku and Semenyo have been feeding the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, from out wide, with Cherki often preferred as the playmaker in an attacking midfield role.
That means Foden has occasionally operated deeper, limiting his ability to score and supply the killer pass.
Per 90 minutes, his attacking numbers aren’t favourable when compared with his colleagues in sky blue.