Phil Foden has blamed Gareth Southgate for his disappointing showings at Euro 2024, admitting that he struggled to adjust to a new position in an England football shirt.
Foden was shifted out of his preferred spot in the forward line as Southgate sought to best use deep attacking resources at the tournament.
While England reached the final of the tournament in Germany, suffering a narrow defeat to Spain, their approach attracted criticism. Foden struggled to produce the sort of form that had seen him named Premier League Player of the Season as Manchester City secured another title.
The 24-year-old had scored 27 times in all competitions during the 2023-24 campaign yet failed to register at what proved to be Southgate’s final tournament in charge.
And Foden feels that both he and England did not fulfil their potential.
“I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it,” Foden admitted to the Manchester Evening News. “The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game.
“Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to.
“I’m one who can play multiple positions and had to try to deal with it the best I could. I don’t feel like England ever got going or performed to our potential.”
Foden has struggled to replicate last season’s form in a lean campaign so far both personally and as a collective for Manchester City.
Six goals in six games recently suggest an upturn in fortunes for the versatile forward, who has spent periods out of Pep Guardiola’s side.
The academy graduate has conceded to dealing with both mental and physical fatigue after the Euros disappointment at the end of a long season.
“I’m normally itching to get back but when I came back my body and my mental state was low,” Foden explained. “For me, football is played with the brain and when the brain is mentally fatigued you’re not going to see a player for who he is.
“I had a bit of rest, just to give my body time to recover. I took the start of the season very slowly, I didn’t play much and I was just resting and trying to get back to myself.
“My body just didn’t feel how I was used to and it’s something that I’ve had to deal with. I feel that’s the reason why I had a slow start to the season.
“I missed periods at the start of the season so I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to get going. I’ve slowly been getting back to myself.”
