Phil Foden got the big award at the end of the last season when he was crowned Premier League Player of the Year. It was his right: he’s been tipped for greatness ever since Pep Guardiola teased him to the masses with sub appearances at Manchester City.
But really, Cole Palmer’s England Player of the Year award should have been his by right, too. Gareth Southgate built his England team around Foden all summer – often to its detriment – only for Foden to hugely underwhelm in comparison to his blockbuster season at City.
He’s still just 24 – he’s one of the best No.10s in the world, as per FourFourTwo. But such is the never-ending conveyor belt of ‘the next big thing’ in English football, Foden feels liek a man out of time, already. He was going to be this generation’s Gazza or Wazza. But where does he actually fit anymore?
Phil Foden has strong competition for England
How do you solve a problem like England’s attack? Sven could never get all his talents into one side – and Southgate seemingly couldn’t either.
Up front, Harry Kane has as untouchable a status as an England player ever has: a provably prolific striker in a range of situations, the captain and record scorer. Sure, he looked leggy in Germany over the summer – but he still started every game without fail. On the right, Bukayo Saka is heading in the same direction: not just because he plays right-wing every week and has risen to a world-class level – but because his versatility in a range of game states.
And behind those two, you have two golden boys. Jude Bellingham was arguably the best player in the world last season; Cole Palmer is arguably the best player in the world right now. Both want to play at No.10 – along with Foden.
Foden now has to battle with four established talents for one or two or three positions. If Lee Carsley is given the England job on a permanent basis, he will likely have to fight with the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Gordon in attacking positions, too: players that the manager trusts from his time in the youth setup.
Speaking of that setup, who knows which superstar will emerge prior to the 2026 World Cup? Of FFT’s pick of the best teenagers in the world right now, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri has already had minutes this season and could be an option for the next big tournament. There may yet be a starlet we don’t even know the name of.
Foden is always going to demand a place in the national setup, should he show the kind of form he did at club level last season – but even over the summer, he was crowbarred into a left-wing position that didn’t suit him. And that kind of tournament sticks with a manager: while others around him thrived, Foden is fast-becoming one of those “never cuts it at international level” cliches, like Ryan Giggs, Steve McManaman or the Gerrard/Lampard debate that the pair are still asked about even now.
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After all, Foden has just four goals in 40 appearances for his country. By contrast, Saka has three times as many in as the same time period; Palmer has two already, in just nine appearances, mostly from the bench.
It’s not all about goals – but the performances haven’t been there either, under a manager who didn’t know what to do with a talent like Foden.
Foden’s salvation could actually be in replacing Harry Kane
Unless, of course, it is all about goals for Foden after all. Maybe he’s been misprofiled all along.
Foden has shone in virtually every role that he’s performed under Pep Guardiola but one intriguing position that he’s had success is as a false nine. The Stockport Iniesta thrived after Sergio Aguero last Eastlands – so who’s to say he can’t repeat the trick once 31-year-old Harry Kane hangs up his boots?
Lee Carsley favours fluidity in attack. He likes overloads in forward positions and with the England under-21s last summer, he used two floating forwards with no real traditional striker in the mould of a Kane.
Given the players that England have at their disposal, Foden might just be archetypal forward for that position. He has plenty of experience pressing from the front, turning in transition, but also being involved in buildup. Southgate tried to give him a ‘free role’ from the flanks during his time at England.
But that’s exactly the opposite of what he needs. Foden’s future for England is in being given clear instructions – and Carsley could well unleash him by moving him closer to goal. With so many options in attack, it’s one that would genuinely suit him.
