Phil Foden had his best individual campaign at Manchester City last season.
In 35 Premier League appearances, Foden found the back of the net 19 times and supplied eight assists for Pep Guardiola’s side as they secured a historic fourth consecutive league trophy.
This then led to the 24-year-old being named Premier League Player of the Season and being included in the England squad for the 2024 European Championship.
Having started all of England’s seven games in the tournament, Foden has now found himself being mentioned by one pundit who has shared his thoughts on the City star’s efforts in his latest international tournament with the Three Lions.
Paul Merson shares what Phil Foden was missing during Euro 2024
While reflecting on England’s efforts in the tournament during a recent episode of Football’s Greatest, Paul Merson had this to say about Foden when asked how important it is for international teams to have systems and tactics rather than relying on moments of brilliance from individuals.
He said: “You’ve got to have a system. You’ve got to work to a system, but then you’ve got to have the X factor in the system. You’ve got to have players that can produce something out of the ordinary. I didn’t feel we had that with England.
“I’m a massive Foden fan and [Jude] Bellingham’s done great, but you’re looking at them two. [Harry] Kane’s not up to it. You could tell when we were watching. So you’re looking at them two for the X factor and they just didn’t give us that X factor enough in games.”
Foden struggled to shine at the Euros
As one of the eight players to start all of England’s games in the tournament, Foden, who Merson previously said he felt sorry for in the competition, was unable to score a goal or provide an assist for Gareth Southgate’s side.
Even though the City star racked up the second-highest total of shots at goal (13) in the Three Lions squad, it’s clear with his lack of goal contributions that he couldn’t be as clinical in the tournament as he was for his club last season.
Moving forward, even though he made it to the final, the disappointment from not winning the tournament and not showing how dangerous he is in front of goal should help fire him up for next season.
