Manchester City have been getting better with their dribbling and coordination, making other teams incapable of defeating them easily. One player who gets fouled often is Jack Grealish. The 28-year-old normally ends the season by winning the most number of fouls. Despite Grealish’s lack of game time due to his injury struggles throughout the campaign, the Englishman was close to making it to the top of the list with 76 fouls against him.
However, this season Phil Foden became Manchester City’s most fouled player. Foden won 82 fouls this season. The Manchester City youngster was put in the middle to fill Kevin De Bruyne’s absence. However, even after De Bruyne came back from his injury, Foden continued playing in the middle. Foden was a huge threat to all the other clubs this season. The 24-year-old became a difficult player to defend, leading many defenders to foul him.
An outstanding season for Phil Foden
Phil Foden was a key player in Man City’s success this season. Foden is a Manchester City academy graduate and has surely shone over the years. The academy boy proved to be essential to Man City’s squad. Foden scored nineteen goals and provided eight assists in 35 Premier League games during the 2023/24 campaign. Moreover, he added five goals and three assists to his name in 8 Champions League appearances. Along with becoming an important player for Pep Guardiola, Foden also showed the fans his best form yet. Additionally, the 24-year-old could be impactful next season as well considering Guardiola is going to continue his managerial role at the Etihad until his contract expires. The England international could further improve at Man City in the future with his contract set to keep him at the club till 2027.
Gareth Southgate to decide the Manchester City star’s fate in England’s Euro 2024 squad
England’s pre-Euro training squad consists of 33 players but will have to be cut down to 26. Gareth Southgate will have to cut three players from the squad before 8th June. There is speculation among the fans that Southgate will keep either Foden or Manchester United’s star, Kobbie Mainoo. The young sensation got his first international call-up for England’s friendlies against Belgium and Brazil in March. The 19-year-old’s exceptional skills and overall performance in the Premier League caught Southgate’s eye. Although Foden has more experience, Mainoo has been no less. The situation is a dilemma for Southgate keeping in mind he has to fit so many star players in a 26-man squad. However, depending on how the next few days at training play out, England’s final crew for the Euros will be released.
What did Southgate say about his England squad?
The England squad is currently missing out on several players due to injury issues. Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Bukayo Saka were absent for the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although England won comfortably with a 3-0 score line, there is a worry about the fitness of the players.
While speaking about England’s injury struggles, Southgate said,
“There are a significant number. That will be apparent with the players who missed the last games of the season and those who have just come back. I’ve never known so many unknown injury situations.”
England’s squad includes 11 defenders out of which the manager’s best center-back combination of Harry Maguire and John Stones either had injury problems or were out of form this season. Moreover, Southgate admitted that taking too many forwards could be a problem for him. The Englishman will surely have to cut a few strikers from the final team. As it stands, it looks like Ollie Watkins could be fighting with Ivan Toney for the international spot. On the other hand, Jack Grealish’s frequent injuries this season could tempt Southgate to keep him out, despite the midfielder’s experience.
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