Friend of Foe
England boss Southgate reveals how City star has caught his eye
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate has very quickly become a Phil Foden fan.
And the Three Lions boss enthused about the list of attributes possessed by the 20-year-old prodigy, as he prepared to hand him his fifth England cap in today’s World Cup qualifier in Albania.
Foden went on as a substitute against San Marino on Thursday night and chalked up an assist to Ollie Watkins, and he has already bagged two goals for the national team, both in the 4-0 win over Iceland in November.
The City star has not exactly been a secret in the England set-up, having been earmarked for the senior squad since starring for the under-16s, and then being named player of the tournament when the under-17s won the World Cup in 2017.
His promotion to the senior squad was held up by Southgate’s reluctance to pick players who are not playing regularly for their club sides, but Foden’s progress with the Blues has seen him become an England squad regular this season.
“He’s just a very good player, very exciting,” said Southgate. “He’s intelligent in his positioning, his skills to receive under pressure and the movement for his body to take players out of the game, his tight control.”
But the one thing that has caught Southgate’s eye is Foden’s goalscoring ability – he has 11 goals from 37 games for the Blues this season, most scored from wide positions. Said Southgate: “What has impressed me most is he has a real eye for goal and a hunger to score. From attacking midfield or a wide position, it’s important players in those areas of the pitch chip in with goals.”