Manchester City star Phil Foden has aimed a dig at former England boss Gareth Southgate for playing him in what he identified as a “difficult” position at Euro 2024.
England settled for a second place finish at EURO 2024 with Spain proving too much for the Three Lions. Despite heading into the tournament after being named the Premier League’s Player of the Season, Foden struggled to impress at Euro 2024, a move that raised eyebrows among some fans.
Southgate was criticised for “wasting” Foden at Euro 2024 by playing the Manchester City attacker on the left wing rather than in a central position.
Gareth Southgate speaks with Phil Foden during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between England and Slovakia (Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Foden has now broken silence on the expiremnt noting that he found the experience very frustrating as he was unable to influence games when stationed out wide on the left of the attack.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it. The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game. Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to. I’m one who can play multiple positions and had to try to deal with it the best I could. I don’t feel like England ever got going or performed to our potential.”
Foden also explained his slow start to the new season at City, adding: “I’m normally itching to get back but when I came back my body and my mental state was low. For me, football is played with the brain and when the brain is mentally fatigued you’re not going to see a player for who he is. I had a bit of rest, just to give my body time to recover. I took the start of the season very slowly, I didn’t play much and I was just resting and trying to get back to myself. My body just didn’t feel how I was used to and it’s something that I’ve had to deal with. I feel that’s the reason why I had a slow start to the season. I missed periods at the start of the season so I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to get going. I’ve slowly been getting back to myself.”
Foden will be eager to play a new role under the guidance of new England manager Thomas Tuchel.
