Express Sport readers are divided over whether Phil Foden deserves to be in England’s squad for this summer’s World Cup. Manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to announce his final 26-man list on Friday, but questions remain over several big stars. Foden has shot in for England in recent tournaments, but his place is not certain at this point.
He endured a difficult season at club level, making just 22 league starts for Manchester City, often preferring Rayan Cherki to pull the strings. Foden hasn’t always set the world on fire when he’s been given the opportunity to impress. He featured for England during the last international break but was criticized by manager Tuchel, who was less than impressed with his performance against Japan.
Afterwards, the England manager said: “You could say he’s been great in camp, but yeah, he’s struggled to show that on the pitch. Obviously he hasn’t had a lot of minutes at City lately.”
“Then he came to camp with the biggest smile on his face and was really good in training. We thought he would just surprise us and play with the same verve and excitement, but yeah, he’s struggling to make enough of an impact.”
Earlier this week, we asked Express Sport readers for their thoughts on Foden’s chances of missing out on the World Cup, and the results were interesting to say the least.
The vote was almost split down the middle, with 50.4% of voters saying he should be removed from office and 49.6% saying he should step down.
Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White are also hoping to make the squad, but it is unlikely that all four will feature in the World Cup.
It means Foden will sweat over his place in the team ahead of Friday’s announcement.
Guardiola has praised Foden in recent months, but the midfielder has struggled to impose himself at City this season.
After the recent win against Crystal Palace, Guardiola said: “In these types of matches, (the opponent) needs a low block…quality, brilliance, talent, vision, etc.
“It’s not in the tactical committee, it’s not in the meetings, it’s not in the videos, it’s not in training.[Foden]receives the ball in tight spaces and creates something.
“Like all good players, he was able to get results and I’m really happy for him. Phil is unique because he’s close to the box, so we want (him) to be close to the box.”
