Phil Foden is back with the England national team for the first time since the earlier months of 2025 after three consecutive absences from Three Lions camps.
The 25-year-old has been in fine form for Manchester City this season as the Blues embark upon a new era following a crossroads transfer window that saw Hugo Viana conduct open heart surgery of Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.
Foden is set to assume the role of architect-in-chief in this new-look Manchester City side as the Blues cope with the notable loss of Kevin De Bruyne, who was not handed a new deal by Viana and co despite his desire to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium past the summer.
Guardiola has called upon the rest of Manchester City’s attack to pull their weight with goals as the Blues seem to be over-reliant on Erling Haaland – who to be fair, seems unfazed by the responsibility on his very capable shoulders – to get them over the line every week.
Foden is starting to show serious signs of returning to the peak of his powers since he marked his first start of the season with a well-taken header to open the scoring in Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Manchester United in September.
The England international has been a regular for City since, with Guardiola calling upon the Stockport-born attacker to return to playing with a smile on his face in the backdrop of Foden admitting that physical and mental fatigue has derailed him from enjoying his football in the last 12 months.
Having been in fine form for City this term, Foden has won a call back to the England squad for the first time in a year after marking his best performance of the season with a sensational brace in a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
Speaking in a press conference after the announcement of his latest squad on Friday, England manager Thomas Tuchel explained Foden’s return to the Three Lions setup after three consecutive absences for the Manchester City academy graduate.
“Where he played (against Borussia) Dortmund was where I see him strongest; close to the opponent’s box, a mix between number nine and number 10,” Tuchel said on Foden.
“For me, Phil (Foden) scores and assists more from the 18-yard box – where he scored against Dortmund – on the half-turn, in the pockets. I think the main thing with Phil is he gets a role central. I don’t see him as a winger at the moment, maybe not any more.
“He should have a central role, I think that brings out his strengths most – we talked about this with him. So he will contribute as a number nine-and-a-half, number 10-and-a-half-ish position, very fluid – but in the middle of the pitch close to the box, be able to assist, and score like he did against Dortmund.”
Foden is expected to start against Liverpool on Sunday as Manchester City look to keep up the pressure on league leaders and title favourites Arsenal, who can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points with victory over Sunderland on Saturday.
