England manager Gareth Southgate insists that Manchester City’s Phil Foden has a “big part” to play in the World Cup campaign despite his limited role to date in Qatar.
Foden only made a brief substitute appearance against Iran in England’s opener and didn’t feature in the USA game, however Southgate has emphasised: “We love Phil, he’s a super player, He’s going to play a big part in this tournament for us.”
Foden has been in good form for his club side Manchester City this season, scoring seven goals in 14 league games and Southgate also praised the 22-year-old’s versatility, saying: “There are different possibilities. He can play on either flank and can play as a false nine if we chose to do that. He can play off a striker, although he doesn’t do that as much at club level so that’s maybe applicable to certain games or certain moments. He’s a very flexible player in terms of the attributes he has and where he can have an impact. He’s a goal threat, which is also very important.”
Jonathan Maze | GWFN
