Rio Ferdinand claims that England boss Gareth Southgate is “lucky” to manage players like Phil Foden and John Stones.
Foden and Stones are one of the many top players the Three Lions manager has at his disposal.
From Manchester City alone, Gareth Southgate has also had the privilege of working with the likes of Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Rico Lewis and Kalvin Phillips.
Rio Ferdinand says Gareth Southgate is “lucky” to be able to manage Phil Foden and John Stones
Not many managers have players of such calibre to choose from, especially those that have won as many titles as the English duo, including a treble in June last year.
Furthermore, the likes of Foden and Stones have understood the intricacies of the game from a tactical innovator like Guardiola.
Rio Ferdinand believes Gareth Southgate is fortunate to be able to manage players of the ilk of Phil Foden and John Stones.
“I’d want to manage England! Gareth Southgate’s a lucky, lucky man! He’s earned the right but it’s a lucky place to be in this era, generation of what he’s got at his disposal”, he said on FIVE’s official YouTube channel.
“He’s got Jude Bellingham, who’s carrying the [Santiago] Bernabeu on his back at the moment. [Phil] Foden, [Bukayo] Saka, [Harry] Kane, [John] Stones, Declan Rice.”
Interesting to see how Gareth Southgate utilises the Manchester City duo at the Euros
In our view, Rio Ferdinand has hit the nail on the head as apart from Phil Foden and John Stones as well, Gareth Southgate has superstars to pick from like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold as well.
With the European Championships set to kick off in June this year, how Southgate deploys Foden and Stones will be interesting to see.
In the 23-year-old’s case, he has been in and out of his side and after witnessing him be a key cog to City’s success in midfield, whether the former Middlesbrough boss uses him in a more central role is an intriguing question.
Similarly, many would wonder whether Gareth Southgate will deploy John Stones in midfield, at least in possession as Pep Guardiola has done since last season.
Also, another question is whether he has a partner at the back in mind for the treble-winner apart from Harry Maguire, who has started just nine Premier League games for Manchester United this season.
