As the demand for Phil Foden to start against Wales continues to grow, England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted that the forward still has a significant role to play at the World Cup.
Manchester City’s Foden has only made one substitute appearance thus far in Qatar, coming on in the 6-2 victory over Iran after it had already been won.
Astonished that we’ve used 14 players so far yet our most talented player is still sat on the bench.
— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) November 25, 2022
In the 0-0 draw with the USA, Southgate opted to bring in Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, and Jordan Henderson off the bench rather than Foden.
The decision drew criticism from some quarters with many onlookers believing Foden should be playing a more prominent role at the tournament.
No fan of City obviously but Phil Foden is without doubt a generational talent that the best manager in the world has developed in to a World Class player. To be sat on the bench as an unused sub whilst England get outplayed by the USA in the World Cup is a disgrace to be honest
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) November 25, 2022
What Has Southgate Said About Foden?
Ahead of Tuesday’s game against Wales, Southgate has provided a major hint that he is ready to unleash Foden.
“We love Phil, he is a super player,” the England boss told ITV Sport.
“He was into the first game, we decided not to put him into the second. But he is going to play an important part in this tournament for us, there is no question about that.
“We haven’t got any issue with Phil. In September he started both games for us and we put him into the game versus Iran.
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“We decided to stick with that team and we felt the changes required something a little different for the USA.
“But we are intending to be here as long as we can.
“And he is a super player and we think the world of him. And he is going to play a big part.
“He can play off either wing. He can play as a false nine. He can play behind a striker, he doesn’t do that as often for his club.
“He works hard for the team and of course he has fabulous technical ability.”
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