England U21s manager Aidy Boothroyd has explained that he dropped Man City starlet Phil Foden for the shock European Championship defeat to Romania because he wants 'to keep him as fit as we can.'
The Young Lions needed a victory in their second group game to stand any chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages and their chances still would have been slim with a win after their late 2-1 defeat to France, as only one second placed side makes it through.
Foden impressed against the French and scored a wonder solo goal which saw him carry the ball for forty yards, dribble past six challenges and deftly place his finish in the corner of the net.
Yet despite that he was dropped to the bench by Boothroyd for the Romania clash in favour of Chelsea's Mason Mount, with Foden only coming on in the 57th minute.
England would go on to lose the game 4-2 in typically English fashion, as crucial errors led to three of the goals.
Boothroyd explained his reasoning for his team selection in the aftermath of the game.
“There is a fine line to tread. I have got to look after Phil," he said.
“We all thought it would be right for him to come in as the game wore on and weave his magic.
“We want to keep him as fit as we can. We don’t want him to break because he is a terrific player.
“There is no agreement with Manchester City. We follow him on a regular basis, we know where he is training and playing along with everything else.”
The defeat confirmed England's elimination from the tournament after expectations were initially quite optimistic due to the talent of the likes James Maddison, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ryan Sessegnon and Foden himself.
Yet Boothroyd was defiant when asked about his future and was adamant he would not quit his role.
“They’ll have to carry me out," he declared.
“I am surprised by the question. It is not reflection on should I stay or go, but reflection on what we have achieved and what we could have done better.
“It is important to have a proper debrief about it. We have to pick the bones out of it. If we are going to win a tournament like this there are things we have to improve on.”
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