Gareth Southgate has now revealed how he would like to utilise Phil Foden for England.
With Phil Foden having won the Premier League Player of the Season award from as an attacking midfielder, the question is whether he will be tasked to play the same role at Euro 2024.
Previously, Manchester City’s number 47 usually played as a winger at club level and as a result, he was used out wide for the Three Lions.
Southgate reveals how he plans to use Foden for England
When quizzed about whether he views Manchester City’s Phil Foden as a number 10 or a winger for England, Gareth Southgate said via BeanymanSports: “Phil [Foden] has played off the right, off the left, I think the key with Phil is where he ends up, not his starting position.”
“So, when he plays on the left with City, sometimes, he stays wide but very often, he’s allowed to drift and it’s always been the same with us, he’s allowed to drift. Then there’s where the player has to defend. Jude [Bellingham] all season, sometimes, he’s defended on the left wing for Real Madrid.”
Southgate added: “So, it’s about where these players arrive and where you allow them to drift that’s the key. I think if you spoke to all of our players in the forward areas, we never pin them to a touchline, that’s not how we work so there is that freedom.”
England boss Gareth Southgate concluded by stating that the plan would be to use Phil Foden as centrally as possible.
“It’s obvious the brilliant season Phil’s had, how he’s stepped up in big games, not only when big players have been out but when he’s been playing alongside them as well and you want them in those central areas as you do one or two others. So, we have to find the best way of making that happen.”
The Three Lions boss should stick to his Phil Foden promise
At the Qatar World Cup, Gareth Southgate deployed Phil Foden as a touchline winger but in our view, the 53-year-old should stick to his promise of getting him involved in central areas.
Another tournament where Foden is hugging the touchline would be a misuse of a player who is one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe.
Instead, as Gareth Southgate explained, whether it is from the wide areas or as a natural number 10, he intends to ensure Phil Foden gets into the middle of the park for England.
Alongside Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, it is fair to claim that the six-time Premier League winner is his country’s biggest game-changer.
If England are in need of a moment of magic from one of their players in a particular game, one of the players they will first look to is Phil Foden.
As a result, it is key for Southgate to provide Foden with the license to be able to produce goals and assists from central areas where he can set the world alight.
If that is not the case, it would be a disappointment as the decorated attacker has had the season of his life.
