Phil Foden was an unused substitute in England’s 0-0 draw with USA on Friday evening and Jamie Carragher wasn’t happy to see the 22-year-old ignored when the Three Lions were bereft of creativity at Al Bayt Stadium.
England managed just three shots on target over the 90 minutes while Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane failed to create a chance, so it was strange that Gareth Southgate left his best playmaker on the bench.
Foden didn’t start in England’s 6-2 win over Iran either, instead coming off the bench midway through the second half, so he’s not made much of an impact in the 2022 World Cup.
Carragher isn’t happy and wrote in his Telegraph column: ‘I was among those hoping Gareth Southgate would turn to the Manchester City youngster. It was baffling that he remained on the bench when the game was crying out for his creativity.
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‘When asked to select my starting XI for the opening fixture against Iran, Foden was in it. The more the squad was studied, the harder it was to leave him out. He is too much of a special talent.
‘It is a shame he is not one of the first picks in the starting line-up, let alone the first go-to player from the bench. Instead, others have jumped ahead of him.’ Foden has scored two goals with six assists from 19 games for England, but he hasn’t found the back of the net since 2020 and has created just one goal in his last six outings.
The 22-year-old has had a hand in 11 goals from 20 games for Manchester City this season, so it’s evidence he has an end product. But it must have hurt him seeing Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish preferred from the bench.
England’s final World Cup group game sees them lock horns with Wales on Tuesday, but it’s unlikely Foden will be given the nod from Southgate to start.
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