Phil Foden comments clash with Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji over Club World Cup | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Manuel Akanji appear to have very different views over the club’s intentions at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.

The Switzerland international has been an outspoken critic of the tournament over the last few weeks and months, taking issue with the lack of rest time afforded to players between the conclusion of the regular season and the start of the new campaign in August.

Speaking during an interview while on international duty, and friendly matches against Mexico and the USA scheduled alongside his countrymen, Manuel Akanji claimed that he and a few other Manchester City teammates are ‘not exactly overjoyed’ by the Club World Cup.

“I’ve been a strong critic of this competition for some time. We players would love to have some holidays, some time for our bodies to rest,” Akanji told reporters.

The defender added, “My teammates [at Manchester City] are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament either. But it’s now right in our faces, and there’s nothing we can do.”

Manuel Akanji has since linked-up with his Manchester City teammates in Boca Raton, Florida as Pep Guardiola’s squad begin their preparations for the tournament and their opening group stage encounter against Wydad AC next week.

As part of a new interview ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup, Phil Foden has spoken about his and a few other of his teammates’ firm intention to compete at the highest intensity possible to win the tournament in its debut format.

“Speaking to a few of the lads, we’ve spoken about that – being the first on the trophy would be nice. So, that’s definitely the aim and, with the players that we have and the quality that we have in the team, I am pretty sure we’re more than capable of doing that,” said Foden.

The Manchester City midfielder, who will be looking to bounce back from a hugely disappointing last campaign on a personal note, continued, “Obviously, it’s the best of the best teams all around the world.

“I hope the atmosphere is amazing – I’m sure it will be – and, obviously, to play at different venues, that’s something that I’m looking forward to. You know, the stadiums, the fans, playing against the best teams – that’s what you want to do: play against the best people, the best players.

“I want the challenge of playing against the best teams, and playing in different stadiums, different scenarios. It’s about experiencing different things in life and, like I said there, I’m just looking forward to it. It’s exciting.”

Foden added, “It’s going to be something new for us that we have not experienced before but, like I said, it’s really good to have this competition. So, yeah, I’m just looking forward to it.”

Phil Foden and the other existing and long-standing members of Manchester City’s squad will no doubt be boosted by the fact that four new arrivals and three regular faces for Pep Guardiola’s options will be present and available in the United States this summer.

Rayan Ait-Nouri adds much-needed quality and assuredness into the left-back role, while Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki add expertise into a midfield area that has already seen Kevin De Bruyne leave the club for Napoli.