Phil Foden Lifts Lid on World Cup Absence and Contact With England's Thomas Tuchel Since

Phil Foden Lifts Lid on World Cup Absence and Contact With England's Thomas Tuchel Since The return to the very best of Phil Foden? More Videos Foden was not part of the England side that was on the brink of reaching the FIFA World Cup Final when Anthony Gordon took the lead in a semi-final tie against Lionel Messi's Argentina. And while doing a commendable job of withstanding their opponents' poise and attacking discipline for 30 minutes, Enzo Fernandez equalised before Lautaro Martinez handed the biggest blow of the tournament two minutes into injury time. While Phil Foden was not present for the competition, teammates Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson were both in attendance in North America, alongside James Trafford, who joined Leeds United  from Manchester City shortly after the tournament’s conclusion. Phil Foden’s consistency in recent seasons has been his main barrier to his involvement for both club and country, but this season could generate a different storyline given his rise in confidence in recent months. Having scored his first goal of the 2026/27 campaign against Ipswich Town, after returning from a three-match suspension after picking up a straight red card against Manchester United , Foden went on to score a hat-trick against AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League last month. The England international was placed ahead of the media earlier this week, and on the eve of Manchester City 's clash with RB Leipzig, where he revealed his thoughts on being left out of the England squad in the summer. “It's one of those things in football. Football's full of ups and downs; it's one of those things you can't control. You just have to keep trying your best on the football field, keep putting in performances, and all I try to do really is focus on my own game. And hopefully, one day, that call-up might come back,” he said. On whether he has had any further talks with Thomas Tuchel, the versatile attacker added: “No, I haven’t really spoken to him to be honest, so not much to say on that.” Despite a humbling defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield at the start of the season, Manchester City have only lost two games when Phil Foden has been in the squad - back-to-back Premier League defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion . And though it’s hard to look past squad selection as one of the main reasons why Enzo Maresca’s side have struggled to succeed, it’s a healthy problem to have given the competitiveness of his squad. One area of the pitch that is positively congested is the number 10 role, where Rayan Cherki, Foden and Enzo Fernandez have all been utilised across different domestic competitions. The consensus in Manchester City supporters' groups is that Fernandez is the weakest of the three in that position, and should be shifted back into a number eight role alongside Elliot Anderson or Ayyoub Bouaddi in the six. It still remains to be seen whom Enzo Maresca deems to be his strongest combination in the centre of the park, with the Italian having personally admitted to assessing his options in a fluid and ongoing picture.