A shock report has emerged regarding Phil Foden after the Manchester City man failed to impress during England’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier victory against Albania at Wembley on Friday.
Foden, 24, started in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of England but failed to make a positive impact on proceedings before being substituted late in the second half.
After the match, Tuchel, 51, was asked about Foden and Marcus Rashford’s performances.
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"We hope for more impact in these positions,” Tuchel said on Friday.
"More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box.
“In general, that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line.
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"There was a bit missing they were not as decisive as they can be."
The pair were mentioned again in his post-match press conference.
"We will encourage him [Foden] to do what he does best: go at defenders, go to dribbles,” Tuchel explained.
The German has since explained how he has “spoken” to the pair and stressed how he appreciates the effort they put in “off the ball”.
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Foden’s form for both club and country this season has been a far cry from the heights he reached in Man City’s Premier League-winning 2023/24 campaign, during which registered 27 goals and 13 assists in 53 games overall.
However, this season he has failed to replicate these numbers with ten goals and six assists in 38 club games this term.
A new report by the Mail ‘revealed’ that Foden supposedly suffered from ‘mental fatigue’ at the beginning of the season and his ‘brain had become foggy’ during training sessions – although both Foden's representatives and Manchester City declined to ‘confirm the nature’ of the reported issue.
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The Mail’s article even claims City’s players are ‘privately worried’ about Foden, who recently moved to near Northwich in Cheshire around 24 miles away from central Manchester.
It is unclear if Foden will start Monday’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley – although he is included in the 23-man match-day squad.
It must considered that to add to the 53 club matches Foden featured in last season, he played all seven games for the Three Lions at last summer’s Euros.
Topics: Phil Foden, England, Thomas Tuchel, Manchester City, Premier League
Luke Alfred Davies