Why Phil Foden is absent from Manchester City squad against Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Manchester City have confirmed that Phil Foden is absent from their matchday squad to face Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

The Premier League and PFA Player of the Season from the last campaign has endured a complex run with Manchester City to date in their title defence this time around as he battles fitness and personal problems.

Matters were not made any easier last weekend either when Foden – despite starting for Pep Guardiola at Old Trafford – was withdrawn early in the second-half and replaced by Jeremy Doku in search of a winning goal.

While the initial belief was that City were seeking a tactical change to increase their chances of winning the contest, which would ultimately end 0-0, it would later emerge that Foden was suffering from a fitness problem.

The England international was spotted limping off the field to introduce Doku into the action, while Phil Foden would also limp down the Old Trafford tunnel after the contest raising question marks over his fitness ahead of their next Premier League encounter.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Guardiola did warn that Foden was a doubt coming into the clash with Crystal Palace, as he said, “For the injury he had at Old Trafford, he’s a doubt.”

And in light of that revelation, Manchester City and Guardiola confirmed that Phil Foden would be absent from the matchday squad that will face Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola told broadcast media pitchside ahead of the game, “He had an injury at Old Trafford and he didn’t recover well.” From Manchester City’s side, the official word from the club is that the Stockport-born playmaker is ‘not fully-fit’.

Several of Phil Foden’s fellow Manchester City Academy graduates find themselves starting in Pep Guardiola’s line-up against Crystal Palace despite the Stockport hero’s absence from the squad this weekend.

At the back there is a Manchester-born pairing in the full-back roles with Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly starting in the right-back and left-back berths respectively, as the rise to a regular first-team role continues for the latter.

Further forward and James McAtee starts his first Premier League match for Manchester City, although it remains to be seen whether that is in the forward line or as part of a fluid and energetic midfield.