Phil Foden is reportedly in line for an England call-up after his EFL Cup final display.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden is in line for his first England senior call-up for this month’s friendlies, according to the Telegraph.
Foden was man of the match as City beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the final of the EFL Cup on Sunday, and that has reportedly convinced Gareth Southgate to select him.
Villa were of course captained on Sunday by Jack Grealish and while there is no mention of him in the report, his recent form has been so good that if there were to be an uncapped playmaker in Southgate’s next squad, many would expect it to be him.
The matches against Denmark and Italy at the end of the month are Southgate’s last chance to take a look at his options before this summer’s European Championship.
Sunday’s game brings into focus the contrast between the situations Foden and Grealish find themselves in.
In truth, both men deserve to be higher up the England pecking order than Ross Barkley, who featured regularly in Euro 2020 qualifying, while Mason Mount is another Southgate favourite who is struggling for form.
Grealish is the main man in a team where team-mates are not on his level, where survival and not silverware is currently most important. That means he plays whenever he is fit and it has given him more chances to impress Southgate this season.
Foden would start for most teams in the country but at City he has had to be so patient. He is getting an incredible footballing education but his lack of starts must be frustrating at times.
There is a case for both Foden and Grealish to be in the next England squad, but the EFL Cup final alone should not see the former leapfrog the latter in the pecking order.
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