Rio Ferdinand has reportedly likened Phil Foden’s performance with the English national team to a ‘fantastically talented’ Manchester United flop.
While Foden was perhaps the finest player in the Premier League last season, he hasn’t been able to reproduce such form at the Euros for England.
In the Three Lions’ 1-0 victory over Serbia on Sunday, the attacking midfielder appeared uneasy and found it difficult to play with Jude Bellingham, another attacking midfielder.
Gareth Southgate’s decision to play him on the left wing instead of his usual No. 10 position has been blamed by some for this.
But Cesc Fabregas has refuted this criticism, saying that the 23-year-old just didn’t put up enough fight throughout the game.
“To be fair Cesc just put him away, just said, “listen, no, no, no, it’s down to Foden,” Ferdinand said as echoed by The Metro.
“Foden’s got to go out there and you’re talking about body language, being demanding and authoritative with the way that you want the ball.
“But I’ve seen this before at Man United. We had Roy Keane who demanded the ball in the middle of the pitch. We signed a superstar in Juan Sebastian Veron.
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“But Roy Keane dominated because he was more animated, the characteristics that he had came out and was much more dominant. He was there before and dominated that area.
“And Sebastian Veron folded really and had to be sold and didn’t really become a success at Man United. But he was a fantastically talented player and I hope Phil doesn’t fall like that.’
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