Phil Foden has been named in England’s squad for Euro 2024 after a remarkable season with Manchester City where he helped them win a record fourth Premier League title in a row. Gareth Southgate was expected to call up the 23-year-old attacker and is anticipated to hand him a starting role in Germany for this summer’s European Championships.
The Cityzens star lit up the Etihad this season, with 27 goals and 11 assists in 52 games across competitions. He was key as Pep Guardiola’s men became the first club in English football history to win four consecutive titles, picking up the Premier League Player of the Year award.
Foden’s versatility came into play as he flourished in attacking midfield and on the wings. He spent the majority of the campaign playing on Man City’s right flank or just behind the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
Southgate has a decision to make regarding how he’ll use Foden at Euro 2024 given he has a strong array of attackers to choose from. The Three Lions boss suggested he’ll use the six-time Premier League champion centrally (via GOAL):
“The key with Phil [Foden] is where he ends up, not his starting position. He’s been allowed to drift for Manchester City. It’s where these players arrive and where they are allowed to drift to. We never pin these forwards to the touchline. There is this freedom. He has stepped up in big games, you want him in those central areas.”
Foden hasn’t always been a starter for England and this was the case at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Southgate opting for the likes of Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish over him. He’s earned 33 caps for the Three Lions, bagging four goals and eight assists.
England legend Gary Lineker wants Southgate to use Man City’s Phil Foden in a No.10 role at Euro 2024
Southgate is blessed with some of Europe’s brightest talents in attack who can play as the number 10 behind England captain Harry Kane at Euro 2024. Jude Bellingham has excelled in the role since arriving at Real Madrid last summer, becoming one of La Liga’s megastars with 23 goals in 40 games across competitions.
Gary Lineker wants to see Foden handed his preferred number 10 role when the Three Lions head off to Germany for the European Championships. The Tottenham Hotspur icon told William Hill:
“I’d like to see (Foden) play the number 10 role with Jude Bellingham in midfield. Whether Gareth Southgate goes with that, we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve been a fan of Foden for a long time. He’s been fabulous this season. He can play in any position and he’s realising that potential that we all saw in him.”
Southgate will get the opportunity to see where Foden will fit into his side in upcoming pre-tournament friendlies. His troops face Bosnia and Herzegovina (June 3) and Iceland (June 7). The Man City star will likely be playing in one of those games as there are just weeks before England’s opening Euro 2024 group game against Serbia (June 16).
The Three Lions’ provisional 33-man squad will be cut down to a 26-man squad once UEFA’s deadline arrives on June 8. Several forwards will be fighting for their place on the plane, including Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
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