Jamie Carragher has made a claim about one Manchester City player after England lost 2-1 to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate’s side came into the game with a better team than Luis de la Fuente’s side on paper.
While players like Rodri and Dani Carvajal are established and world-class players, England have superstars such as Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka at their disposal.
Based on both teams’ substitutes bench as well, the fact that Gareth Southgate can call on players like Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney is an indicator of the Three Lions’ strength in depth.
Yet, Spain came out on top — with 22-year-old Nico Williams taking home the Player of the Match award.
Jamie Carragher makes fresh Phil Foden claim after Euro 2024 final
The youthful duo of Williams and Yamal were at the forefront of Spain’s latest triumph at the international stage.
Despite the pair being up-and-coming prospects, they did not look fazed for even a second during their time at the European Championship.
On the other hand, even on the night, apart from Palmer, Southgate’s side lacked a player who could bring a spark going forward.
Jamie Carragher feels Foden was one of England’s attackers who had little to no impact at Euro 2024.
Carragher told Sky Sports: “But when you think of England’s attacking players, we think we’ve got some of the best attacking players probably in Europe. In terms of Harry Kane, [Bukayo] Saka, [Phil] Foden, Jude [Bellingham].”
“I would say there’s only Saka who can come out of this tournament and can say he’s played well. And even Saka can actually do more in certain games as well.”
The Phil Foden debate for England is not black and white
While some might feel the £225,000-a-week man is yet to replicate his form in a Manchester City shirt for England, others might believe the issue at hand is tactical — leading to his subpar displays.
In the last three games, Foden has played in midfield at the European Championship.
Apart from against the Netherlands, the 24-year-old is yet to take the game by storm.
On one hand, it would be fair to question why Foden has not played in his natural position throughout the tournament.
Additionally, the Stockport-born attacker rarely ever gets the ball in the final third, with England often not being progressive enough in possession and sitting back once scoring a goal.
However, as one of the best players in the world, Foden should have taken more of an onus to change the game — especially in the final against Spain, where he had little to no impact.
It seemed like the six-time Premier League winner was marked out of the game and he struggled to discover how he could impose himself on Sunday night.
As a result, a culmination of issues have led to Foden yet to impress for England at a major tournament but with plenty of years ahead of him, he has plenty of time left in his career to do so.
