Sorry, Phil, but you’re left wing in my England XI!

SORRY, Phil, I know you like playing in a central position. I know Pep Guardiola has found a way for you and Kevin De Bruyne to co-exist as a creative hub at the heart of Manchester City.

I know you would love to recreate that connection alongside Jude Bellingham for England. But in my dream team for the Euros, you’re on the left wing, so you’ll have to put your country’s needs over your personal preferences. Foden is the overwhelmingly obvious candidate on the left.

If it’s not him, then it’s Anthony Gordon, or Jack Grealish, or Marcus Rashford, or Jadon Sancho, or someone else who is not playing anywhere near as mesmerically as the Premier League Player of the Year who led City to their fourth consecutive championship.

There is a conundrum on England’s left-hand side and, for me, the versatility of the virtuosic Foden is the answer. His selection on the left is what allows my line-up to be packed with attackers who have performed at their peaks this season. There’s Bukayo Saka on the right, Bellingham joined by Cole Palmer in the centre, and Foden on the left — all of them serving the striker Harry Kane. All in all, that’s a front five that managed 112 goals and 42 assists between them this season. With that set-up, I would struggle to see who can stop England from scoring their way towards the latter stages of the tournament.

I’m not saying Foden has to spend the full 90 minutes getting his boots covered in white chalk, by the way. He can still move inside, where he can make use of his skillset, the way he is an expert in escapology, squirming out of the tightest of spaces, with feet as delicate as a pickpocket’s hands as he attacks the space and carries the ball forward at speed.

But if Foden is to be afforded that freedom to roam, there is another big issue that needs solving — who starts at left back?

On the presumption that everyone is healthy for England this summer, I’ve plumped for Manchester United’s Luke Shaw over other candidates such as Ben Chilwell and Kieran Trippier. The remainder of my defence is then made up of Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire, who edges out Jarrad Branthwaite. Maguire has never ducked a challenge for England and alongside Stones, Southgate will have every confidence in his old dependables.

Declan Rice is there to provide protection as my defensive midfielder and if Southgate went with this team for the Euros, then I really think England would take some stopping.