Former England defender Ashley Cole has been discussing England’s victory over the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Thursday night on ITV Sport and in particular, the Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden.
Gareth Southgate’s side cruised to a comfortable victory on the evening, ending a run of seven matches without a victory over Ireland, their last coming back in March 1985 (as per BBC Sport).
Foden was introduced as a second-half substitute, replacing Jack Grealish on 61 minutes and the 20-year-old’s appearance earned him a WhoScored rating of 6.17/10.
That was the Stockport-born player’s second full international cap for England with his last coming back in September in the UEFA Nations League versus Iceland (as per Transfermarkt).
On his chances of nailing down a place as a regular in the first-team for England, here is what Cole had to say:
“He’s in that same position as Grealish, with the ball at his feet, he’s a very talented boy, but can he get in that front three? What’s his position in this England squad? So it’s going to be very difficult for him to settle down and get a starting position.”
Will Phil Foden go on to become a regular starter for England?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Ashley Cole’s comments regarding Phil Foden and England…
Cole played over 100 times for his country and so it could be argued he knows exactly what it takes to become a regular for England. However, Foden, despite his young age has averaged an impressive performance rating in the Premier League so far this season of 6.94/10 across his six appearances for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this term.
Add to that, his two goals in the games versus Wolves and West Ham and in our view, you could argue that he is showing the signs to suggest he is capable of becoming an England regular in the not too distant future.