Phil Foden has described the early changes brought in under Enzo Maresca, stressing that the new set-up remains close to what Manchester City knew before, even if there are clear adjustments in place.

Speaking before City’s second preseason friendly, Foden said: “It’s very similar to how we played under Pep, but there are still things that are a bit different,” Foden said prior to City’s second preseason friendly. “I don’t want give too much away of how we play. Maybe the defending’s a bit different the way we set up.

“We have different ideas about how to play out from the back. A different variety of things on the ball. Different things, but we are very comfortable because we want to build from the back and try to create, so I think it suits everyone really well.

“I’ve found it good, to be honest. All I have known is Pep Guardiola so to go to a new manager is a fresh start. I am enjoying it. I am enjoying the new coaching staff and I like the ideas and way we are playing. I am excited for the new season and hopefully we can have a really good year.”

City head into 2026-27 with the clear aim of reclaiming the Premier League title in Maresca’s first season in charge. The club have won the league six times in the past seven seasons, but have finished without the trophy in each of the last two.

For Foden, the challenge is twofold. He wants to return to the level that made him the Premier League’s best player when City last won the title in 2023-24, while also becoming a more senior voice in the dressing room.

“I think I have to be really [a leader],” Foden revealed. “Obviously I have been in the club for so long, I am one of the last remaining players to have been here for a long time. So I think have to be this season, one of the leaders, one of the captains or in and around it for sure. I am looking forward to that new responsibility and trying to take leadership [on].

“What [Maresca] wants from me at the moment is to be an example to the young lads on tour,” Foden added. “To try to train well, keep my head down and work hard and set a good example to the young lads. That’s what I have been trying to do, really.”

The squad has already lost some senior figures this summer. Bernardo Silva and John Stones departed, while Rodri could also move on as interest from Barcelona and particularly Real Madrid grows.

Foden, who captained City in their preseason opener against Inter Milan, is now 26 and far beyond the stage of being treated as a young prospect. After the inconsistency of the last two years, he knows 2026-27 must be a productive season rather than another missed opportunity.

His output has dropped from the level he hit during City’s dominant run, including the club’s first Champions League title in 2022-23. More recently, his role has been reduced, and although he made a strong start to 2025-26, he started only three of 14 Premier League matches from February until City were overtaken by Arsenal in the title race.

Across the last two seasons, he has scored 23 goals in all competitions and recorded 14 assists, numbers that underline how far he has to go to match his peak form again.

With less than a month left in the transfer window, Premier League clubs are still expected to be busy. Incomings and outgoings remain likely across the division, and every side still appears to have at least one clear gap to fill before the deadline.

Arsenal may be attracting attention with their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior, but their bigger need is in central midfield. Declan Rice carried too much of the load last season, while Martín Zubimendi faded after the break and Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet fully trusted there. Another box-to-box midfielder would help enormously.

Aston Villa could soon be short at left back if Lucas Digne leaves, which would leave Ian Maatsen as the only senior option. Bournemouth need more depth in wide areas, Brentford still require a more natural left back, and Brighton & Hove Albion must replace the goals lost with Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have done plenty of work already but still have not addressed the goalkeeper position. Robert Sánchez improved in 2025-26, yet the club still look in need of a top-class solution.

Elsewhere, Coventry City are close to signing Carl Rushworth permanently and would then turn to left back. Crystal Palace need centre-back reinforcements after losing Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, while Everton must add a defensive midfielder after Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure.

Fulham will look for winger depth after strengthening up front, Hull City want more options in attack, and Ipswich Town are still waiting for a central midfielder. Leeds United may also need another striker to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record.

Liverpool’s most pressing issue is out wide, Manchester City need a right back, Manchester United still want a more destructive midfielder, and Newcastle are alarmingly short at left back. Nottingham Forest must replace Elliot Anderson in midfield, Sunderland need more balance on the left side, and Tottenham Hotspur have already moved aggressively to rebuild after last season’s collapse.

Enzo Maresca has played down the latest noise around Rodri’s future, insisting there have been no meetings at the Etihad Stadium dedicated to the midfielder and describing the Real Madrid talk as “just speculation.”

The Manchester City manager made the remarks before a preseason friendly against Inter, stressing that Rodri remains a major part of the club’s thinking even as his contract moves toward its final year. Maresca said the midfielder is being given time to recover, following surgery on Monday and a summer that has also included rest after the World Cup.

“I said in the first press conference that any manager in the world wants Rodri, so it’s important for me, for the club and for everyone, but now he needs to get some rest,” Maresca said in his prematch press conference ahead of City’s preseason friendly against Inter.

“He’s very important when we need to play every three days. The main focus for him when the season finished was the World Cup. Now he enjoys some rest after that, and we didn’t have any conversation just focused on Rodri [with sporting director Hugo Viana].

“It’s just speculation in this moment. Rodri had surgery on Monday, everything was fine. Now he will get some days off and then return back with us after his holiday ends.”

Rodri’s name has been linked with Real Madrid before. In 2024, he said: “When Real Madrid call you, the best club in history, the most successful, everything that means … Obviously, it’s an honor and you always have to pay attention, of course.”

Interest from the Spanish side later cooled as Rodri’s fitness problems mounted. He tore his ACL in Sept. 2024, then battled further setbacks in 2025-26, missing more than 100 days for City last season. Across the last two seasons, he managed only 41 appearances in total, with 24 of them coming in the Premier League.

That history made Real Madrid reluctant, especially after Rodri underwent surgery for a back problem this summer. Yet the situation has shifted again, with reports of an official approach and verbal discussions with City. If a fee of at least €50 million is offered, City may have to decide whether to keep their Ballon d’Or winner or sell before next summer’s expiry.