Phil Foden got the nod from Gareth Southgate and so did three others. It was half-time against San Marino on Thursday night and the invitation was there for the Manchester City midfielder and his fellow substitutes to fill their boots. Yet not everybody could be accommodated in the sweeping changes.
Harry Kane had tried to catch Southgate’s eye, to drop a few not-so-subtle hints, as he salivated at the prospect of adding to his international goal haul against such limited opposition. The manager, though, held him back and, for his fifth and final change just after the hour, he would give a debut to Ollie Watkins, who went on to score England’s fifth and final goal.
“Harry was desperate to get into the game – he was sort of hovering around me at half-time, smiling,” Southgate said.
“But I don’t think even he would have denied Ollie the moment he had. We want Harry to go on and break those records [as England’s top scorer] and we will create enough chances for him to get those goals. We had to look at the bigger picture [against San Marino] and Harry totally understands that.”
Foden came on for Raheem Sterling in one of the wide attacking roles, which seemed to confirm where Southgate sees him in the immediate future.
Having switched from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3, the manager had scope to play Foden as a No 8, which is more difficult in his preferred system. He chose not to and so for Foden the equation looks increasingly clear. If he is to start at the European Championship in the summer, he will have to displace Sterling, Marcus Rashford or one of the rest.
“I feel sorry for him a bit having to pick 11,” Foden said. “There are so many great talents in the attacking third.”
Kane’s hovering will be restored to the penalty area in the next two World Cup qualifiers – against Albania (away) on Sunday and Poland (home) on Wednesday. The captain is the first name on the team sheet; he is not the headache for Southgate. Rather it is the identity of the players to the sides of Kane.
It feels as if Sterling and Rashford would be starters if the Euro finals were tomorrow, even if the latter’s fitness is currently a concern. They are the benchmarks, the status quo and the manager loves their pace and incision; the way that they also switch on Kane’s passing radar when he drops deep.
But the competition could not be more intense, with various players – and not only Foden – bringing different qualities to the roles, allowing Southgate to adjust the balance of the team.
His options include Jadon Sancho, Harvey Barnes, Bukayo Saka, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Danny Ings and Mason Greenwood but it is when he considers Foden, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and maybe even Jesse Lingard that the tone of the approach stands to change more noticeably. Foden is not a pure winger, even though he has explosive acceleration in possession and the skill to beat his man. He likes to drift inside, to link up and make things happen.
Foden has the rare capacity to excite, which is why – like Grealish – there is such a clamour to involve him. At 20, though, and with only four caps, Foden does not have the body of international work behind him, which is also true of Grealish, even though he is 25. Southgate has consistently promoted younger players but how many will he rely upon in the summer?
“In a lot of cases, we are still talking about potential,” Southgate said, answering in general about the youngsters in his squad. “That is a dangerous thing because sometimes that potential is fulfilled and sometimes it isn’t.”
What cannot be disguised is the progress that Foden has made this season or the fact that he feels ready for the Euros. To him, it seems a long time ago that he was winning the Under-17 World Cup in 2017; he has been thinking of a senior tournament ever since.
“One hundred per cent,” Foden said. “I’ve had the experience of playing in a final [at Under-17 level] and in big games so I feel like I am ready to play in big tournaments and handle the pressure. So I am always ready. Hopefully I get picked.”
Foden has 11 goals in all competitions for City this season – putting him fourth on the club’s scoring chart – and, although Pep Guardiola has forbidden it, he cannot help but think of the possibility of a trophy-laden finish. The Premier League title appears to be in the bag and City are in the quarter-final of the Champions League, the semi-final of the FA Cup and the final of the Carabao Cup.
“Hopefully we will win the league and maybe a couple more trophies and that would give me the confidence to push on and be in the England team,” Foden said. “Pep is really good with trying not to think too far ahead; he always says to everyone: ‘Just focus on the next game.’ But, for sure, the lads are going to think about it [winning trophies]. It could be one of the best seasons in City’s history if we pull that off.
“When you are in a good run of form, your confidence is always higher than normal. Is this the most confident I have felt in my career? Probably, yes. I’ve always been calm, trusting the process at City. The manager likes to rotate so everyone’s been playing. But I can’t lie. It’s been a big year for me. I am playing more minutes than last season and improving my goal ratio so I can kick on from here.”
