Phil Foden is pushing for an international recall when Thomas Tuchel names his latest squad next week.
Foden is more prolific now than at any stage since January. The stats show he is currently in the best form of any of England’s No 10 options, hence why Tuchel has sat up and taken notice.
There are signs that, after a very difficult time last season, the 2024 PFA Players’ Player of the Year is getting back to his best.
Two goals and two assists in his first five games of the season for Manchester City represent his best return for eight months, outside of the Club World Cup. That will be music to the ears of Pep Guardiola and Tuchel – who hasn’t picked him since naming his first England squad back in March.
Phil Foden’s form means he’s pushing for an England recall
In fact, Foden asked Tuchel if he could be excused from the camp in June to focus on recovering fully from a persistent ankle problem, and to focus on some off-the-field emotional issues and “get my head mentally right”.
He was overlooked by the England head coach last month, but Foden is now fully fit and football-focused, and it’s paying dividends with his performances on the pitch.
He was the best player as City saw off Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup this week – the big proviso there is that he was up against League One opposition. But his dominance shows a new-found confidence that had been sadly lacking for much of last season, when he went 20 matches without scoring. Foden’s swagger is back. He is demanding the ball and dictating the play.
Highlights from the Carabao Cup third round match between Huddersfield and Man City.
If you take his averages over 90 minutes, he is outperforming what he managed last season in a host of parameters: goals, assists, total shots and shots on target, xG, chances created, passing success and duels.
Perhaps more significantly, if you again average his stats over 90 minutes, he is outperforming all of his rivals for the England No 10 shirt – ahead on goals, assists, chances created and passing success – compared with Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers.
With stats like those, it would be a real surprise if he wasn’t recalled to the England squad immediately for the friendly against Wales and World Cup Qualifier in Latvia, when Tuchel names his choices at Wembley next Friday.
And therein lies the problem. Where does Phil Foden fit into England’s plans?
For 75 per cent of his total minutes so far this season, he has played centrally for City – with 19 per cent on the right and just six per cent on the left wing. But England are awash with world-class talent at No 10, and Foden has a fight on his hands.
With Bellingham and Palmer both missing for the two World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, Eze and Rogers filled the void.
The Arsenal playmaker struggled a bit in a heavily congested midfield against Andorra, whilst the Villa man shone with some brilliant moments in Serbia. However, Foden will feel he is ahead of both of those two options because of his pedigree and international (including tournament) experience.
And generally, Tuchel seems to be just as influenced by historical talent as he is by current form when it comes to player selection.
But when it comes to Bellingham and Palmer, Foden is currently third choice out of those three – even though the Chelsea forward is still struggling with a hamstring injury. And that means Foden has a battle on his hands for the remainder of this season, if he is to prove he is worthy of a place in next summer’s World Cup squad.
