Foden faces a tight deadline to secure a spot on England’s World Cup roster.
Phil Foden entered England’s upcoming major tournament at Euro 2024 as the top player in the Premier League, trailing only Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Alexander Isak in the scoring rankings. However, two years later, he finds himself struggling for playing time at Manchester City, with no goals to his name, and was fortunate to be included in the England squad for friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan.
Given an opportunity to shine against Uruguay on Friday, Foden spent the majority of his 56 minutes on the field on the outskirts of a sluggish, uninspiring match. He appeared distressed as he exited the game—partly due to a reckless challenge from Ronald Araújo that left him on the ground, but also, perhaps, due to the realization that the World Cup may be slipping from his grasp.
The reality is that, with three months remaining, Foden’s position for this summer’s tournament is in significant jeopardy.
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It underscores the challenges Foden has faced this season that in three crucial matches for City this month—two against Real Madrid and the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal—he was on the field for a mere one minute. His late substitution against Arsenal, when the match was already decided, was labeled a “charity sub” by former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney.
“[Foden] will be happy they won the cup, but from a personal standpoint, he would have preferred to be on the pitch making an impact. That will be a difficult situation for him,” remarked the former England forward.
There was a period in November and December when Foden netted eight goals in nine matches and seemed to be regaining the form that earned him the PFA and Premier League player of the year titles in 2023-24. He attributed his disappointing 2024-25 season to a persistent ankle injury and “issues off the pitch mentally,” although the reasons for this season’s inconsistent performance remain less clear.
During the FIFA Club World Cup last summer, Foden expressed that he had regained his “hunger” and that the upcoming season would mark a “new start, new me.” He has displayed glimpses of his former self—scoring against Manchester United in September and netting a last-minute winner against Leeds United in November—but consistency has been lacking.
Occasionally deployed in a deeper position this season, Foden’s capacity to influence matches through goals and assists has been diminished. Rayan Cherki’s performance has also played a role. However, when discussing Foden this season, Guardiola has frequently returned to a recurring theme.
According to the City manager, when Foden is happy and at ease, everything else tends to align. Reading between the lines, Guardiola suggests that this is not always the case.
“I have zero, zero, zero doubts about Phil,” Guardiola stated in February. “It wasn’t centuries ago when he was the best player in the Premier League; it was just around the corner. It wasn’t many seasons ago. This is Phil Foden. He just needs to be relaxed in his mind, with joy, a smile, and happiness, and play, play, play.”
Guardiola has noticed signs that Foden’s passion for football—absent at times last season—has returned. Following a challenging 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates in September, he allowed the team to evaluate their physical condition and sought volunteers to participate in a League Cup match against Huddersfield three days later. Foden volunteered.
However, since being substituted at halftime during the 2-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in January, he has started only two Premier League matches. In the lineup for Nottingham Forest’s visit to the Etihad earlier this month, he was involved in the one-two passing sequence that led to Elliot Anderson’s equalizer in a 2-2 draw, a result that significantly impacted City’s title aspirations.
After his limited involvement in the Carabao Cup final, he maintains a positive outlook.
“Football can be unpredictable at times,” Foden remarked. “There are highs and lows, and sometimes you can’t be the best version of yourself, and that’s just how it is. It’s about how you recover from that.”
“I’m keeping my head down, trying to train as effectively as I can every day, and hopefully, I will return sharper after the internationals. I aim to get more minutes and get back to where I was at the beginning of the season.”
Foden has previously made comebacks. He was sidelined during the concluding stretch of City’s treble-winning season and did not start in either the Champions League or FA Cup finals. He rebounded from that disappointment, and the subsequent season was the best of his career.
A similar resurgence may be necessary for him to secure a spot on the plane to the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel has several options for the No.10 role, with Foden competing against Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, and Palmer. While Foden could potentially play in one of the wide positions, he faced challenges there during Euro 2024, and Tuchel appears to favor more natural wingers like Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, or Marcus Rashford.
Tuchel is known for informing players precisely who they are competing against. If it comes down to Foden versus Palmer for the final No.10 position, it was Palmer who shone in the match against Uruguay. Coming on for Foden in the second half, Palmer created a prime opportunity for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and assisted Ben White’s goal from a corner.
Tuchel will conduct further evaluations against Japan on Wednesday, but with Bellingham and Rogers rejoining the squad, the competition has intensified. For Foden, time is of the essence.
