Copyright GIVEMESPORT
With a spot in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup up for grabs, the Phil Foden of old has reappeared in recent weeks – and he was, once again, at the races during his side's 3-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday, Roy Keane, on punditry duty for Sky Sports, ignored the Englishman and named another Manchester City figure that has their 'spark back'. What with Arsenal stealing a march at the top of the Premier League table so early on, it's easy to forget that others are also in with a chance of lifting the title come May. Among those are City, who have somewhat dominated England's top flight for the last decade or so. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Only Manchester United (13) has won more than Manchester City's eight Premier League titles. And their resounding three-goal victory over Liverpool this weekend – thanks to goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku – just proved that Mikel Arteta and Co cannot rest on their laurels and down tools just yet. There is every chance that Pep Guardiola will add yet another title to his well-bloated trophy cabinet come May 2026. Keane Names City Figure Who Looks to Have Their 'Spark Back' After 3-0 Win Over Liverpool Haaland is, once again, scoring goals as if it's going out of fashion, Doku's performance against the titleholders proved why he is among the most dangerous wide men on the planet and Foden – who has won everything there is to win with his boyhood club – is back to his best in the eyes of the Catalonia-born tactician. But when naming who of a City persuasion has got their 'spark back', none of the aforementioned triumvirate came up in conversation for Keane, a midfielder-turned-pundit who knows a thing or two about being crowned a winner of the Premier League. The Irishman did so on seven occasions throughout his playing career under Sir Alex Ferguson – and, speaking after City's statement triumph at the Etihad Stadium, Keane believes that, of all people, Guardiola is looking like his old self again. "I reckon if you had asked Pep [Guardiola] six or seven weeks ago, I bet he would've felt that it was more of a re-building job, to re-group and get back to competing," he said. "But if you look at him now, he's got that spark back. You can see it in his eyes. He's probably thinking, 'These players have surprised me a bit'. And, again, they've snuck under the radar; the goalkeeper is a great signing, Haaland's a goal machine but the other players, Foden back to his best. "Pep will be sitting there going, 'We're certainly back in the mix'. Four, five, six weeks ago, I bet he thought 'Nah, it's probably going to be too much this season, and we'll have a look at it in January or next summer to get more players in'. But they're certainly back in the mix," Keane said before claiming the 2025/26 league title would be a huge achievement. "There's a long way to go yet, but if he got that league title, surprised everybody and finished ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal, it would have to be up there with one of the best achievements he's got," he concluded. As things stand, Arsenal still retain a four-point lead on Guardiola's side with both sides having played 11 games thus far. Now, Guardiola – widely regarded as one of the best managers in football history – and his entourage have plenty of time to prepare for what's to come given many of their players will be heading off on international duty over the month of November. When his men return, they travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United in search of all three points.
