Following Phil Foden’s brace against Ipswich, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola showered the English midfielder with praise.

At Portman Road, City crushed Ipswich 6-0 thanks to an outstanding performance from Foden, continuing their comeback and reclaiming their spot in the top four. The PFA Player of the Year from the previous season has failed to live up to the same high expectations this season and was powerless to break City’s rut. However, Foden appears to be back on track after scoring five goals in his last three Premier League outings.

“We spoke many times the last month, and he was a completely different boy to how he arrived at the beginning of the season,” Guardiola remarked after the game, praising his star player. He experienced some issues, but that’s typical for humans to experience setbacks from time to time.

“But it is really good for all of us that he is happy again and enjoying playing,” the statement reads.

After only scoring once throughout the 2024–25 season, Foden has scored five goals in his last three Premier League outings. He is still far off his total from the previous season, when he scored 19 goals and recorded eight assists, even with this recent improvement in play. After a challenging European Championships with England, Foden has had a mixed six months. The midfielder was granted a rest by City at the beginning of the season but found it tough to establish his dominance once he returned.

When City travels to the Parc des Princes to play Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial Champions League match on Wednesday night, Foden will want to maintain his goal-scoring run. In the French capital, City will try to guarantee their spot in the knockout stages. In an exciting matchup between two teams vying for a spot in the Premier League’s top four, City will host Chelsea the following weekend.