Football
Pep Guardiola Claims Phil Foden’s Illness Leaves Him Unlikely To Be Fit For England
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Manchester City star Phil Foden’s illness means he is unlikely to be fit in time for England’s upcoming fixtures – according to City boss Pep Guardiola.
England face the Republic of Ireland and Finland in UEFA Nations League action over the international break, but will probably have to do so without one of their key men.
Foden has played just 45 minutes of football this season. The 24-year-old came off the bench against Chelsea in the Premier League on 18 August but has not played since.
Despite this, Foden was named in interim England manager Lee Carsley’s first squad.
But Guardiola believes it’s still too soon for the midfielder.
He said: “I don’t think so right now,”
“I think he will not go but I don’t know. He doesn’t feel well. But national teams, they decide.”
“He doesn’t feel good. It’s his stomach, a little virus. But the people said with antibiotics and so on he will be fine.”
Phil Foden’s illness has not affected Manchester City, though. The champions made it three wins from three so far in the Premier League with a comfortable, 3-1 victory at West Ham on Saturday.
City are top of the table, level on points with Liverpool, the only other side to win their opening three games.
Phil Foden’s England Career In Numbers
Foden debuted for England as a 20-year-old on 5 September 2020, staring in a 1-0 victory over Iceland in the Nations League.
Since then, he has already racked up 41 caps, scoring four goals. An international through all age groups, he scored 21 times for England in 51 games from U16s to U21s.
The first two of his senior goals both came against the same nation he faced on his debut. Foden scored a brace and bagged an assist as England beat Iceland 4-0 at Wembley in November 2020.
He has also scored against Wales at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and against Scotland in a Friendly in 2023.
England’s UEFA Nations League Group 2 Fixtures
- Republic of Ireland (A) – Sat 7 Sep (17:00)
- Finland (H) – Tue 10 Sep (19:45)
- Greece (H) – Thu 10 Oct (19:45)
- Finland (A) – Sun 13 Oct (17:00)
- Greece (A) – Thu 14 Nov (19:45)
- Republic of Ireland (H) – Sun 17 Nov (17:00)