Steve Bruce has shared his verdict on the performance of one particular Manchester City player in his first appearance of the 2024 Euros.
The Manchester club have 14 players from their senior squad in action for their countries in the current tournament, more than any other side in the Premier League.
After today’s round of fixtures, every side in the competition will have played their first group game.
Ahead of the next round of group matches, one City representative has been the topic of discussion as a result of his individual performance in his opening game.
Steve Bruce defends Phil Foden after opening England game
Appearing on talkSPORT, the former Newcastle United manager reflected on England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday and had this to say about Phil Foden’s efforts in particular.
He said: “I have to say, Phil Foden’s defensive responsibility – I think he was fine on the night.”
Foden was uninspiring against Serbia
After the 24-year-old completed the full 90 minutes against Serbia in a left-wing position, Micah Richards said that Foden was barely involved in the match.
With 64 touches of the ball in total, the City star completed 49 of the 56 passes he attempted but failed to have a shot a goal or even one dribble, making just one key pass in the process.
With Bruce highlighting Foden’s defensive efforts, the Englishman made two clearances, one interception and won both of the ground duels he was involved in.
This shows why the former Toon boss focused more on this side of the midfielder’s game rather than his attacking efforts on this particular occasion.
In our view, with the City star scoring 13 goals in 15 games for his club during their most recent season when playing as an attacking-midfielder, having in play on the left subdues his attacking talent somewhat, as was shown against Serbia.
Therefore, we think that Gareth Southgate should tinker with his side so Foden can play centrally and have a better chance of getting the best out of him.
