Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca believes Phil Foden can return to being one of the Premier League's best players after the England international ended a 10-month goal drought with an impressive return to form.
Foden, 26, broke his scoring drought in City's 3-2 victory over Ipswich last weekend before producing a stunning hat-trick in Tuesday's 5-1 Champions League win against AEK Athens.
The midfielder's resurgence offers a major boost for City as Maresca looks to build on his impressive start at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden enjoyed a remarkable 2023/24 campaign, scoring 27 goals and collecting the Premier League's leading individual player awards. However, he has struggled to maintain those standards over the past two seasons and has previously spoken openly about his mental health challenges.
Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola in June, revealed he has held several private conversations with Foden to reinforce the midfielder's importance to the team.
"Since we started I sat down with Phil two or three times, especially at the beginning. Just to show him, I don't know if love is the right word to use, but just to show him how important he is," Maresca explained.
The Italian manager believes restoring Foden's confidence and consistency will be crucial to Manchester City's continued success.
"I said many times that I know Phil from years ago so I know how for different reasons, the last few years it was not good enough.
"When you have more players like Phil available, you are a better team because again it's a matter of improving players. If you improve the players, you improve the team.
"So for me, I think it's my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England."
Foden's recent performances suggest he is beginning to rediscover the attacking sharpness that made him one of English football's standout performers.
Maresca has enjoyed an outstanding beginning to his Manchester City tenure, becoming the first manager to win his opening seven Premier League matches with a new club.
His only defeat so far came in a 4-2 Champions League loss to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
However, City's impressive results have been overshadowed by ongoing uncertainty surrounding the club's financial rule breaches.
Manchester City are appealing a guilty verdict relating to more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, with severe sporting sanctions potentially awaiting them if the appeal fails.
A substantial points deduction, potentially resulting in relegation, remains among the possible consequences.
Despite the uncertainty, Maresca insists the atmosphere within the squad remains positive.
"In any club, when you lose important players, many important players, and you lose the manager after 10 years, it always takes time to compete again," he said.
"But this organisation last summer changed many important players, changed the manager after 10 years and we are competing at the moment."
Manchester City will look to extend their perfect Premier League start when they travel to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The visitors have received a significant boost with the return of Erling Haaland, who missed the Champions League victory over AEK Athens after suffering a foot injury against Ipswich.
The Norwegian striker has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 12 goals in nine appearances.
However, Maresca still faces several selection concerns, with Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O'Reilly remaining injury doubts.
With Haaland returning and Foden finding his scoring touch, City will be confident of maintaining their momentum despite the challenges surrounding the club.
For Maresca, helping Foden rediscover his consistency could prove just as important as maintaining Manchester City's winning run.
