Gareth Southgate has come in for a lot of criticism since England’s draw with Ukraine – and Rio Ferdinand is the latest high profile pundit to question him over his management of Manchester City star Phil Foden.
England drew 1-1 with Ukraine on Saturday.
City’s Kyle Walker equalised after Oleksandr Zinchenko gave the hosts the lead.
While it was a decent result in the grand scheme of things, it was not a good performance from England.
Southgate’s team selection has drawn criticism.
Many have suggested that Foden should have started the game.
And, just like Micah Richards, Ferdinand is firmly in that camp…
Rio Ferdinand questions Gareth Southgate over management of Manchester City star Phil Foden
A number of pundits have now questioned Southgate for not starting Foden. Either against Ukraine or just in general.
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Ferdinand could not hide his frustration in a new video on his FIVE YouTube channel.
He said: “Foden, man. Come on! This guy, he’s poetry in motion. He’s a locksmith. He’s unlocking at the top level, trust me. But he isn’t going to do that if you’re give him little two-minute cameos.”
Foden has now not started a game for England since the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
Southgate has not given him more than 45 minutes in a game since that tournament.
Ferdinand is spot on about Foden
You can hear the genuine frustration in Ferdinand’s voice as he talks about Foden and he is absolutely right about this.
Foden is a generational talent and the fact he is not an England regular is criminal.
Southgate has done a good job overall with England, but he is undoubtedly not utilising this crop of players as best he could.
He is also a hypocrite for picking players that are not playing football regularly.
In an ideal world, England would have a manager that would build the team around Foden and Jude Bellingham.