John Cross, the Mirror’s chief football writer, believes Manchester City star Phil Foden has an uphill task to land a place in the England World Cup squad for this summer, coming up against former City ace Cole Palmer.
Is it a straight shoot-out between Phil Foden and his former Manchester City team-mate Cole Palmer for a place in the England squad for this summer’s World Cup?
Foden, 25, was named on the bench once again by Pep Guardiola when his side completed an impressive comeback to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
While it was an eventful game, there was no place for Foden to make an impact, as he wasn’t even brought on to try and kickstart the fightback, as Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush were named alongside the ever-present Erling Haaland.
When Man City needed to shake the game up, Guardiola turned to summer signing Rayan Cherki rather than the academy graduate, which should be his biggest worry ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
The lack of minutes and impact won’t help Foden’s chances of making Thomas Tuchel’s squad, not least due to the quality available in the attacking positions, especially as a number 10, with former Man City star Cole Palmer starting to show signs of his quality again.
As part of a weekly series ‘England Player Ratings’ counting down to this summer’s World Cup, The Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross gave his thoughts surrounding Foden’s position in the squad, after watching Man City’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
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“This is the bigger worry. He has been eased out by Antoine Semenyo. When City needed something extra, they brought on Rayan Cherki. That has to be a worry,” he said, giving his current form a 6/10 rating, while unable to give a match rating due to the lack of time on the pitch.
“One big name is going to miss out. Will it be Bellingham, Rogers, Foden or Palmer? They cannot all go. One who is either not playing well or just plain unlucky will not go. Foden remains in danger. It might be between Foden and Palmer,” he added, giving his chances of making the World Cup squad a 7/10.
The problem for Foden surrounds the form of those he will be competing with.
While Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers have shown their form earlier on this season, it may be time for someone like Cole Palmer to make a run towards the squad with some late momentum.
The playmaker, who left Man City for just £40million in 2023, has begun to show his quality again, scoring a hat-trick for Chelsea in their 3-1 win over Wolves this weekend.
While injury issues have plagued him for most of the season, Cross gives Palmer a 7/10 chance of making the squad, stating: “If he stays fit and also plays and gets minutes, then he is hard to resist. Especially when you consider he was so influential – albeit as a substitute – in the last Euros. It’s a big call but it may be a straight choice between Foden and Palmer.”
With Foden struggling for minutes with City, it may well highlight the transformative move away for Palmer if he can pip him to a spot in the World Cup by landing more opportunities on the pitch.
Marc Guehi’s England chances
While Foden may be struggling for opportunities to break into the England squad, the same cannot be said of Marc Guehi, who looks almost certain to be on the plane this summer, barring an unfortunate injury.
His performance at Anfield landed an 8/10 from Cross, who said: “He was so good at Anfield. Yes, he got booked for a pull back but he looked calm, composed and so strong. He is a Rolls Royce of a defender.
“He makes City’s defence look so much better and they saw out long spells of pressure. He will be one of the best defenders at the tournament.”
His chances of making the England squad were rated 9/10, with every chance that he starts the World Cup alongside Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
Nico O’Reilly position change
Nico O’Reilly may well be down as the left-back option for England, but he once again started in midfield for Manchester City in their win over Liverpool.
The return of Rayan Ait-Nouri has pushed him out from full-back, but into the midfield role, due to his form and performances as of late.
O’Reilly has also been given a strong chance of making the final squad with a 9/10 rating, as Cross said: “He is in pole position for the left-back slot and, unless anything dramatic happens, he is nailed-on for the first game against Croatia.
“His versatility playing midfield and left-back gives him another string to his bow.”
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