Foden says City 'more than capable' of winning CWC, heaps praise on Haaland

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden says the club will go all-out to win the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup as they take part in their first training session in Fort Lauderdale.

Speaking to FIFA on the eve of the tournament, the 25-year-old said it was "obviously" their goal to become the first ever winners of the tournament.

Man City have been drawn in a relatively straightforward Group G and get their campaign underway on June 18th against Morocco's Wydad AC, before facing UAE's Al Ain and Serie A's Juventus.

But they could face either Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich or 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in the round of 16.

"Speaking to a few of the lads, we’ve spoken about that - being the first on the trophy would be nice," Foden said.

"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.

"I feel that my personal goal would be just to enjoy it, compete against the best players and try to perform to the best of my ability. I think that's me."

Man City have a large following in the States, and Foden is looking forward to playing in front of their fans, some of whom could be seeing them for the first time.

"Travelling over here to see games would be really difficult, so I’m sure they are going to be buzzing to see us up close.

"They’ll get to see us play a match, so yeah, I’m really happy for them, and hopefully we can put on a performance and hopefully get the win for them."

Man City arrive in the US on the back of a disappointing season after failing to win any silverware for the first time since 2016/17.

The club finished third in the Premier League, exited the quarter-final of the Champions League for the first time since 2012/13, and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

But Foden says fans should never write them off, especially with star striker Erling Haaland in their squad, and the improvement of defender Nico O'Reilly.

"On the pitch, we all know how good he is. He’s unbelievable. When you go into a game and Erling is playing, you just kind of expect him to score every game. That’s how good he is," he said.

"He doesn’t even have to be involved much - he just knows in his head if he gets one chance, he’s putting it away, and it just shows how good his mentality is. Just to keep going, and the number of goals that he’s scored at a young age is incredible."

"(Nico is) a very humble guy; he never gets ahead of himself. (He's) Someone I look at in training, and it’s really good to see how much he wants to learn and improve. Also, you know, (he's) looking at the older players, how professional they are and taking bits from that.

"You know, the managers don't play people unless they deserve it, so he's definitely deserved his opportunity. He’s worked really hard for it, and he has a really good physical presence on the pitch.

"He's a top player," he added.