Enzo Maresca is hopeful Phil Foden will rediscover his spark this season after having two difficult seasons since being named player of the year in Manchester City's title-winning 2023-24 campaign.
The 26-year-old's struggles with City contributed to his omission from Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad.
New City manager Maresca has been encouraged by a noticeable change in Foden's mood since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium and handed him a start in the Community Shield last week.
Maresca said: "I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one.
"He looks very, very good and people inside the building are saying that, compared to the last one or two years, Phil is a completely different player in terms of mood, in terms of what he is showing in the sessions. This is what we want.
"Phil is from the academy, from the house, so it is nice for everyone to see him getting better and better."
Phil Foden won Man City player of the season in 2024. Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images Foden played 60 minutes at the Principality Stadium before being replaced by Rayan Cherki, adding weight to the impression from preseason that the pair could be competing for one place in Maresca's side.
Maresca insists that is not necessarily the case but believes competition would be healthy.
The Italian said: "They can play together -- in different positions -- but for sure they are quite similar.
"At the end, if you want to build an important team, you need competition inside the team. So it's good that Phil and Rayan have that competition, but they can also play together in some games."
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City begin their latest Premier League challenge, their first without Pep Guardiola at the helm since 2015-16, at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
"I'm very excited to start this new chapter, this new journey," Maresca said. "The target is to carry on from the last 10-15 years."
Elliot Anderson is set to make his home debut following his £116 million ($158m) move from Nottingham Forest, but winger Jérémy Doku is out with a calf injury.