Phil Foden marked his first start of the season with an excellent display against Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The brilliant youngster was called into action from the start for the first time since suffering an injury before the final of Euro 2020 after playing an essential part of England's run to the final, especially in the group phase.
It is believed the 21-year-old was distraught to have missed out on the final, having enjoyed the historic run with Gareth Southgate's side. Still, his performances at the start of the season show no sign of demonstrating any hangover from the summer tournament.
Foden was on fire on Tuesday night, assisting two goals and finding the back of the net himself with a piledriving effort from the edge of the box. Despite Manchester City falling behind to Wycombe in the early stages, with such quality on the field, it was only a matter of time before City found their first goal and the floodgates opened.
With City having won six of the previous eight League Cup trophies, some pundits have accused the competition of having a dwindling influence over the players, suggesting the trophy now has no meaning to a squad that have become accustomed to bringing it back to the Etihad on an annual basis.
Don't tell that to Foden, though! The England international has a dog named Carabao, highlighting the value that top players place on winning every trophy, even if it is the competition with the least glamour of the four Pep Guardiola's side are competing to win this season.
Sam Lee, City correspondent for The Athletic, reminded supporters of the name of Foden's dog, which was greeted with a heartwarming reaction on Twitter from City fans who realise that any trophy is worth celebrating even if it has become somewhat of a fixture in recent years.
