'I was physically and mentally burned out': Exclusive interview with Man City’s Phil Foden

Early on, Phil Foden's reputation was pretty much sealed. Dubbed the Stockport Iniesta, his childlike enthusiasm for kicking a ball about is something he has not lost, even after 20 years at Manchester City.

But earlier this season, the 24-year-old found his career had taken a different turn. The squad held meetings to address a collective slump which had seen their league form stall.

For Foden, something wasn't right. His body just didn't feel like it used to.

Just months earlier, his potential had been realised. A player always tipped for the very top, he picked up the three biggest individual awards in England after leading City to a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title.

He has not lost the love for kicking a ball about, being the first and last at training, and even on occasion taking a football with him on the streets near his house. And it felt like life couldn't get better when Foden slapped in a goal at the Etihad inside the opening seconds of their 38th and final league game last season.

Yet within a couple of months he was at the lowest point of his career. For one of the first times, Foden was struggling to love the game he had grown up with.

England and the Euros didn't help. Gareth Southgate did not want to play with two central attacking midfielders and preferred Jude Bellingham in a central role, forcing Foden to the left wing after a season of being the main man for the English and world champions.

It never really worked, and a player who had managed 27 goals and 12 assists for City in a successful campaign did not contribute to a single goal despite England making it all the way to the final, where they would lose to Spain. As pleased as Foden was while England stayed in the tournament, he