'Never rule a player of Foden's quality out but he has a fight on his hands'
- Published
Manchester City's brilliant 25-year-old Phil Foden was, along with Jude Bellingham, a stand-out exclusion from Thomas Tuchel's squad for the friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga.
Foden, who has won two caps under Tuchel, has been rebuilding form and confidence with an excellent start to the season after a poor campaign last term.
And he will do all this with his sights set on the World Cup.
He was a permanent fixture in Sir Gareth Southgate's plans up to Euro 2024, but getting Foden and Bellingham in the same team was often a struggle and never felt like a neat fit at the time, with the former often out on the left rather than his preferred central role.
No-one, least of all Tuchel, can ignore Foden's talent, but he must continue to impress to reclaim what was once an automatic place in England's squad.
Like Cole Palmer, Foden operates in what is now a congested place under Tuchel, whether it is in the centre or pushed out wide.
Never rule a player of Foden's quality out, but he has a fight on his hands to make England's World Cup squad.