Phil Foden has paid a warm tribute to Jack Grealish as the winger heads out on a season-long loan to Everton.
Grealish’s exit follows a challenging spell at Manchester City, where his playing time under Pep Guardiola became increasingly limited.
Across four seasons at the Etihad, he collected multiple trophies, but last season saw a sharp drop in minutes.
Close friends on and off the pitch, Foden posted a collage of their best moments together at City, captioning it: “Good luck my mate.”
Grealish’s departure also means City have lost another creative talent, coming not long after Kevin De Bruyne’s move to Napoli earlier this summer.
With Grealish gone, Foden now carries more responsibility in City’s attack. Last season, his output dipped significantly, scoring 17 fewer goals across all competitions compared to the year before.
Guardiola will be looking for him to rediscover the electric form of the 2022-23 campaign, when he hit an impressive goal tally.
After losing the Premier League title to Liverpool, the pressure is on Foden to step up as a key figure in City’s push for silverware. Failure to perform could see him face the kind of ruthless decisions Guardiola has never shied away from making.
The coming season will be a defining test of Foden’s ability to lead the line for the reigning champions.
