Former England striker Michael Owen has backed Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden to enjoy a breakout campaign with the Three Lions at the European Championships.
Capped six times by England, the 21-year-old has established himself as an integral part of Gareth Southgate's squad but the Euros could knock him up another level.
Owen believes that could indeed be the case for the City man, backing him to emulate the breakthroughs previously shown by Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.
“ Foden is special. We can get carried away. People say he could be the next such and such. Foden is different. We’re talking about someone that could be a great. He could be world class," he said, as quoted by the Express.
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“Phil’s strength is the way he moves, his first touch. It’s effortless, the way he glides into the game. Everything he does is so easy on the eye. He’s still young, so there’s room for improvement - but he’s a born footballer. With his decision-making, his ability to score goals, he oozes class.
“Sometimes a player comes along every generation. I was one maybe, Steven Gerrard was one 20 years ago - then a Wayne Rooney came along. Phil Foden could be another one. You watch and think ‘that’s different, that’s special.’ I’m intrigued to see how the next two or three years go. That’s going to shape him.”
Owen's encouraging words also came with a warning, as he added that shining for the Three Lions would lead to increased attention cast towards him off the field.
“The football side is fine. Being a young player, you are absolutely fearless. There's no scars. You go out there thinking you're the best. He believes in himself, he’s just got to the Champions League final - he thinks he’s one of the best players in the world and rightly so.
“It’s just another game. The difference is off the pitch. If he does well — that’s his life changed. That was a life changer for me. Afterwards, how that can change you as a person, that’s another question, as we’ve seen with Paul Gascoigne in 1990.
“The attention that comes with it sends you into a different stratosphere. That’s a whole separate side of how you deal with things.”
