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Micah Richards has heralded England starlet Phil Foden as the best player at Manchester City and says he “is so good he can play anywhere” for England this summer.
Foden played a starring role in Man City’s run to the Champions League final last season, and also excelled as City won the Premier League title.
The 21-year-old’s outstanding displays earned him both the PFA Young Player of the Year award and the Premier League Young Player of the Season gong.
Following a season in which he made 50 appearances in all competitions for his club, Foden is now expected to play a significant role in his country’s campaign at the European Championships this summer, with England beginning their tournament with a game against Group D rivals Croatia on Sunday.
And football pundit Richards, who is also an ambassador for Man City, says that Foden is even better than many people think.
“I was talking about him 18 months ago [as an England starter],” Richards told Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on the Match of the Day Top 10 podcast.
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Match of the Day presenter and former England ace Lineker agrees, and believes that Foden’s positional flexibility gives England manager Gareth Southgate lots of tactical options throughout the Euro 2020 campaign.
“His little feints, his moves; he’s quick too,” Lineker enthused.
“The thing is, he could play false nine, he could play left, he’s good on the right, I like him on the right, or six, or eight.
“You could play one holding player, say [Declan] Rice, and then [Mason] Mount and Foden either side.”
Despite Lineker’s exciting proposed formation, Southgate is expected to pick two holding midfielders because “he’s slightly concerned defensively,” according to fellow BBC pundit Alan Shearer.
The England head coach has consistently played a double-pivot in midfield during the last two years, despite murmurings of discontent from the supporters.
Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips are the options in the squad for such a role, with Mount, Foden, Jack Grealish and youngster Jude Bellingham the options for a central position further forward.
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