Phil Foden has given an update on his health after the Manchester City attacker was admitted to hospital on Sunday.
Foden was one of five City players who were called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for recent Euro 2024 qualifiers, along with John Stones, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips.
Foden came off the bench as a second-half substitute during England’s 2-1 win against Italy on Thursday, although he was taken off 18 minutes when Southgate shuffled his pack following Luke Shaw’s sending off.
Foden was expected to be involved against Ukraine at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, but he underwent surgery to remove his appendix after experiencing abdominal pain the night before.
On Sunday, City confirmed that the 22-year-old had undergone surgery in London and will therefore miss the Premier League clash with Liverpool on Saturday.
NHS guidance states that patients “should be able to return to normal activities in a couple of weeks,” meaning Foden is also likely to miss the trip to Southampton on Saturday, March 8th.
However, some people “may need to avoid more strenuous activities for 4 to 6 weeks after open surgery,” meaning the youngster could miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich and the FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United.
The worst-case scenario would see him also unavailable for the top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal on April 26th, as well as subsequent league fixtures against Fulham, West Ham and Leeds.
Footballing targets aside, the news is concerning first and foremost for Foden and his family.
However, on Sunday evening the star offered an encouraging update via his Instagram Story.
“Thank you for all the messages,” Foden captioned a photo of himself lying in bed wearing a hospital gown.
“Feeling much better already, I’ll be back soon.”
Pep Guardiola is expected to give an update on Foden’s fitness when he speaks to the media on Friday ahead of Saturday’s match against Liverpool.
