England fans are looking for more excitement ahead of their final group stage game against Wales on Tuesday. Gareth Southgate's side know that anything but a heavy loss will secure their passage into the knockout phases.
The feeling heading into the game isn't all positive though after a dour performance against USA in a disappointing 0-0 draw left some wanting the handbrake to be released, especially with the depth of attacking talent possessed by the Three Lions.
Phil Foden, who is a standout player for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, has rarely been trusted with important minutes by Southgate despite his impressive club form, and with England favouring a safety-first approach, Foden tends to miss out.
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Given that the game against Rob Page's Wales holds less importance than the USA clash, Southgate has a chance to rotate his side and was asked about Foden before the game.
"We love Phil," the England boss started. "He's a super player, he was put in for the first game, we decided not to put in the second but he's going to play an important role in this tournament, there's no question about that."
Given the simple nature of proceedings against Iran and the relative control against USA, England haven't been massively tested yet and aren't in a position to be pushed outside of their comfort zone. That may well be where Foden is best alongside the speed and creativity of Conor Gallagher and Marcus Rashford off the bench.
Gary Neville is keen to get him into the action though and thinks space needs to be made for him. "There’s a limit why you won’t put him in because of his form but I said I felt as if we had to make this work because he’s an incredible player - Declan Rice said he’s incredibly talented.
"I look at all the other teams in Europe, space in international football is hard to come by, we saw that against USA, England don’t have a lot of players - we had Paul Gascoigne - who could pick the ball up on the halfway line, turn and beat players.
"Mount’s a great player, Bellingham’s a great player and Rice is a great player, we know what they can do but Foden can take the ball on his back foot and go past players, opening up games, something the others can’t do. Which is why I think he has to be made to work because he’s got that skill and ability that is difficult to explain, for me he should be in. I understand Gareth’s point of view and trust him."
Ian Wright disagrees though and doesn't see his natural role in the current England setup. "I’m glad we didn’t see Phil Foden playing in that team," the ex-Arsenal forward countered. "Because what we see with Phil Foden on a weekly basis is him playing in a well-oiled side, you see him playing at his best.
"If he played that game the other night, I think the same thing would’ve happened. There was a couple of times for England, we haven’t seen him play to his best because of the players he’s playing with and the consistency, if we play at a consistent level then he plays brilliantly. But if you’re going to play as poorly as we did the other day, Phil Foden will get lost like everyone else.
"I agree with the ability but we have to get to a higher ability because that’s what he’s used to."
The Foden debate will go on, but his chances of playing increase the further England go. However, Neville delivered his own little bombshell, saying that Foden wouldn't get into the Brazil midfield containing Casemiro, Fred and Lucas Paqueta.
Who gets into your England XI vs Wales? Use the team selector below to have your say!
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