Image Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images

“He Won’t Be Playing” – Manchester United Legend Blasts Phil Foden Despite England Win

The Man City young gun has been struggling with form throughout the 2024-25 season.

Image Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images

Goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane gave Thomas Tuchel a much-needed victory in his debut as England manager. It was a comfortable win for the Three Lions, before hosting Latvia on Monday at Wembley Stadium. Yet, one player in particular couldn’t escape the criticism.

It was a tale of two halves for England, as they started strong but turned patchy in the second half of the encounter. One of the biggest positives was Lewis-Skelly; the 18-year-old became the youngest Englishman to score on debut. Led by goalscorer Kane, the home side managed to fend off a late surge by Albania to secure a 2-0 victory.

Tuchel was honest in his assessment of the win, claiming England “have to do better” as they move forward. A pragmatist at heart, the German will look to get the best out of England’s rich talent. One of the keys to his style of play is minimal lateral and backward passes, and being more direct. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka (when fit) are potential catalysts in this setup.

Roy Keane Delivers Harsh Phil Foden Criticism After England Win

One player who looked a shadow of himself on Friday night, was Man City starlet Phil Foden. The 24-year-old failed to pose a real threat to Sylvinho’s side and didn’t seem connected with the rest of the squad. After Ian Wright claimed that both him and Marcus Rashford were “fortunate” to get a call-up, Manchester United legend Roy Keane had a brutal analysis.

"He won't have to worry about where he wants to play, because he won't be playing" 😐

Roy Keane was not impressed with Phil Foden tonight #ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/dtmhP48Tht
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 21, 2025

“If you’re one of those attacking players and you’ve come off the pitch and dominated a game like that against a poor Albanian team and you’ve not scored a goal, not had a shot on target, you’ve not tested the goalkeeper, you’d be disappointed because you’re there to affect games,” he said. “You’ve got a new manager and you want to make a good impression. Rashford and Foden certainly didn’t do that tonight.”

Foden’s poor night came to an end when he was replaced by Jarrod Bowen in the 74th minute, putting an end to his misery. Asked if the Manchester City attacker was better off as a No. 10 as opposed to a right winger, Keane said, “Listen, Foden won’t have that problem coming up about where he wants to play because he won’t be playing, that’s a bigger problem for him.”

Also Read: England Men’s Football Fixture: What Are the Upcoming Games for England National Football Team?

Thomas Tuchel Calls for ‘More Impact’

Manager Thomas Tuchel was supremely impressed with Arsenal man Myles Lewis-Skelly, but demanded that the attackers needed to do more. “We hope for more impact in these positions,” he believed. “More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. That was missing.”

In spite of a rough outing, Tuchel had reassuring words for Foden. He firmly asserted that the team will continue to back him to do what he does best, and take on defenders. The Euro 2024 runners-up will now shift their focus to Latvia on Monday, where their World Cup qualification charge continues.

England

FIFA World Cup

Phil Foden

Roy Keane

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.