Phil Foden Has Four Goals in Five and Little Contact With Tuchel

• Phil Foden, 26, says Thomas Tuchel has not been in touch after the World Cup to discuss what he wants to see from him, per The Guardian.
• The Manchester City attacker has scored four goals in his last five appearances, including a hat-trick against AEK Athens in Europe.
• Tuchel names his England squad for the Nations League ties with Croatia and Spain on Friday morning.

From Red Card to Hat-Trick, Foden Waits for England

Phil Foden has not really spoken to Thomas Tuchel after the World Cup left him at home. Asked whether he had held talks with the England manager, the Manchester City attacker gave a plain answer. “No, I haven’t really spoken to him to be honest, so not much to say on that,” he said. Foden, 26, wants back into Tuchel’s plans and believes he is close to his best, though he is unsure that is enough for a recall this week. The squad for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain is named on Friday morning, and City play RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday before then.

Left out of the World Cup and out of the loop

Tuchel’s World Cup omission of Foden was the first of several misses. His last appearance for his country came in March.

Foden is not taking it as a final verdict. “Hopefully, one day the call-up might come back,” he said. “Football is full of ups and downs. You have to try your best, keep putting on performances.”

Tuchel also left him out of the lengthy four-game September camp and its Nations League games. The competition for places is crowded. Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White have each been ahead of Foden in Tuchel’s pecking order at various points this year.

The red card, the break and the return

September brought a setback. Foden was sent off after 23 minutes of City’s 1-0 win at Manchester United and served a three-match ban. The suspension came a week before the last international window, and he did not play again for more than a month.

He used the time away. He took family time and went on holiday. “It was a very long time, which felt strange,” Foden said. “It gave me time to work on things I need to work on. I felt like I could help the team.”

Foden has scored four goals in his last five appearances for City, the most encouraging spell he has had in almost 12 months. That includes a hat-trick in City’s last European game, against AEK Athens. Those four goals make him the third highest scorer at City this season, behind Erling Haaland on 13 and Rayan Cherki on six.

“I think personally this season has gone really well,” Foden said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of goals recently, so I’ve been really happy.”

Maresca’s No 10 contest

City manager Enzo Maresca admitted in the summer that it is his duty to enliven Foden after two disappointing seasons, and he is pitting him directly against Cherki for the No 10 spot. Foden has not had a true run of starts in the Premier League, but Maresca likes what he sees. “I see Phil day by day better and better for sure, 100 per cent,” he said. “It’s good to have competition between them.”

City need the goals. Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Brighton was the first game this season in which Maresca’s side failed to score, and the team has 36 goals in all competitions. Maresca said City “cannot rely on Erling for every game”. Foden scored 27 goals in 2023-24, a career high, and he was asked whether he can support Haaland more and rediscover that form. “Hopefully,” he said. “I’m getting there slightly more now.”

What happens next

Foden has two dates to mark. City face Leipzig on Wednesday, with Maresca’s side looking for goals from players other than Haaland. Tuchel names his squad on Friday morning for the Croatia and Spain games.

The call is out of Foden’s hands. He can keep scoring, and he says that is the plan: keep putting in performances and see what Tuchel does on Friday.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

More articles by George Howson →