The midfielder has struggled to replicate his magical displays for his club at international level, but goes to Euro 2024 in the form of his life
For the first time in eight years, England go into a major tournament with the undisputed best player of the Premier League in their ranks. Phil Foden cleaned up when it came to the 2023-24 individual prizes after his virtuoso displays for Manchester City, taking the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award as well as being named the Premier League Player of the Season award after scoring 27 goals for his club and contributing 12 assists. The PFA award will surely follow in August, too.
The last time an England player won the Football Writers' award was Jordan Henderson in 2020, and the last time before a major tournament was Jamie Vardy in 2016. Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, earned the award ahead of the 2010 World Cup. But on both of those occasions, England bombed and the prize-winner flopped.
In 2016m Vardy was not even a starter, behind Harry Kane in the pecking order for then-manager Roy Hodgson, making one start in four games and failing to rescue the Three Lions from the bench in their humiliating 2-1 defeat by Iceland. Rooney, meanwhile, went to South Africa reeling from an ankle injury which he had continued playing through. Unsurprisingly, he offered little in a hugely disappointing World Cup for England, who came second in a group they were widely expected to top and were then thrashed 4-1 by Germany in the last 16.
But there are no concerns around Foden's fitness or any question that he will start in the Euros. Instead, the main debate centres around where he will play in Gareth Southgate's system.
GettyUnderwhelming displays
Foden has got the recognition he deserves this season with City after being on the fringes of the team when they won the treble the previous year. But he is yet to produce the same magic for England or even play a big role for Southgate's since making his debut in 2020.
Foden was tipped to be one of the stars of the rescheduled European Championship in 2021 and bleached his hair blonde ahead of the tournament in a tribute to Paul Gascoigne. But he had a frustrating time, featuring little in the Three Lions' run to the final.
He started the opening games against Croatia and Scotland, but was stunted on the right of England's attack, and after the 0-0 draw against the Tartan Army he lost his place in the team to Bukayo Saka and then Jadon Sancho. He only featured once more, as a substitute in extra-time in the semi-final against Denmark. He injured his foot in that game and was ruled out for the final against Italy.
It was the other way round at the World Cup in Qatar, when Foden was benched for the first two games but then played his way into the team. He scored in the 3-0 win against Wales and did well in the last-16 victory over Senegal, but was quiet in quarter-final the defeat by France.
Foden then started just three of England's eight Euro 2024 qualifiers, losing his place to Saka or his City team-mate Jack Grealish. Since establishing himself as one of City's best players early last season, however, he has become one of the first names on Southgate's England teamsheet, starting in the last five matches.
He is, therefore, as assured of his place in the team as any other attacker. But where he will deployed is set to dominate the conversation before the tournament starts, and could even drag on throughout it.
AdvertisementGettyThriving in the middle
Until Foden reinvented himself as a midfielder this season, Southgate mostly mimicked Guardiola's deployment of him as a wide forward, predominantly playing him on the left of a front three, but also on the right. Foden's transition from a wide forward into midfield had been a long time in the making, however, and had been predicted due to Grealish's impressive form last season, which led to him locking down the role Foden used to occupy.
But Foden was fast-tracked into a more central role when Kevin De Bruyne tore his hamstring at the start of the season and faced five months out. Foden, who in that period mostly played on the right of a three-man attack behind Erling Haaland in a 4-2-3-1 shape, was tasked with being City's main playmaker and thrived in the role, dictating his side's play and putting in dominant performances.
He was productive in attack, posting six goals and five assists in the first four months, but his main quality was pulling City's strings. It was only when De Bruyne returned to the team in January that Foden truly realised his goal-scoring potential, striking 18 times in the final five months of the season while chipping in with four assists.
During the title run-in, he tended to play on the right of a four-man midfield, but had licence to drift inside, repeatedly scoring what would become his trademark goal, cutting back across the pitch and pinging the ball into the far corner of the net.
Getty Spicy response
Discussion about Foden's role for England heated up ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers back in September, provoked by his impressive start for City in De Bruyne's absence. Foden had declared his ambition to keep playing in the middle after dominating Newcastle in August.
"That's my favourite, that's where I feel comfortable. I felt alive in that game, I felt myself more and I could get on the ball and do things," he said. "That's always been me as a player and hopefully I can keep playing there and show people what I can do… It is a position I can handle. There's a lot of responsibility, it's not just about going forward. You have to know what you're doing defensively and know who is around you."
The media's desire to see Foden play more centrally for England, however, seemed to irk the normally level-headed Southgate. When asked why Foden was not deployed in midfield, the manager barked back: "He doesn't play there for his club, so presumably there's a reason for that. It depends on the level of the game really. You'd have to speak with Pep Guardiola, the best coach in the world, who plays him from wide."
Southgate was criticised for that response, but his answer had some logic. He also said: "In the middle of the park, everyone wants to talk about when you are with the ball, but there is a lot of detail without the ball and games where you have to be spot on with pressing angles. If you don’t, you don’t get the flow of the game."
And he is right that Guardiola tended to prefer Foden to play wider than through the middle in the biggest games, when the Catalan played Mateo Kovacic in front of Rodri to give City more control in midfield.
Getty ImagesBellingham effect
Speaking in May, Southgate was more diplomatic when discussing Foden. "The key with Phil is where he ends up, not his starting position," he said. "He's been allowed to drift for Manchester City. It's where these players arrive and where they are allowed to drift to. We never pin these forwards to the touchline. There is this freedom. He has stepped up in big games, you want him in those central areas."
The England boss now has what you might call a luxury problem, as Foden's desire to play more centrally as a No.10 comes at a time when Jude Bellingham has developed into one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.
The Real Madrid star's numbers are eerily similar to Foden's, scoring 24 times in all competitions compared to the City man's 27. Bellingham contributed 12 assists, the same as Foden. And the boy from Birmingham also won the title while being named La Liga's Player of the Season.
Even given Foden's remarkable form, Bellingham is the de-facto leader of this England team and will get freer reign than his City counterpart in Germany as the team's No.10. Foden will be aware of that and will likely continue to start on the left, as Saka is pretty much immovable on the right.
Saka's fitness struggles, a consequence of him playing practically every game for Arsenal even when shaking off a knock, could see him rested occasionally, offering Foden the chance to play there instead and drift inside as he loves to do and cut on to his left foot.