England manager Gareth Southgate has said Phil Foden "is going to play a big part" in England's bid to win the World Cup in Qatar.
Foden never made it off the bench for England's disappointing goalless draw against the United States having played just 18 minutes as a second-half substitute in the opening 6-2 thrashing of Iran.
Southgate was criticised for not utilising the 22-year-old as his side struggled to create chances at Al Bayt Stadium on Friday. Victory over the USA would have sent England through into the round of 16 but they could not find a breakthrough, only intensifying the calls for Foden to start Tuesday’s clash against Wales.
England currently sit top of the group, one point ahead of second place Iran, with Wales bottom having taken drawn one and lost the other of their opening matches.
“We are intending to be here as long as we can and he is a super player. We think the world of him and he is going to play a big part,” Southgate said of Foden to ITV Sport.
“We love Phil. He’s a super player. He’s obviously been into the first game [v Iran]. We decided not to put him into the second but he is going to play an important part in this tournament for us. There is no question about that.”
Kalvin Phillips believes that his Manchester City teammate would grab his opportunity with both hands were he to force his way into Southgate’s XI.
“I think, when he is given the chance, he will shine and he is just waiting for that chance,” he said.
“He knows it is going to be difficult, obviously, to get into the team after we’ve played so well so he is just waiting for the right moment and once that comes I think he will kick on and start flying.”
England 0 United States 0: player ratings
Phillips, who has yet to feature in Qatar having recently recovered from shoulder surgery, feels that Foden would benefit the team most in a central role.
“I think Phil can offer a lot of things," said Phillips. “Obviously he is an unbelievable talent, unbelievable technically and he works hard.
“I think for me his best role is probably as a number 10 – I think in that role where he can float about, get on the ball and do whatever he wants to do.
“You see him when he takes it past people, you’ve seen the assists and the goals that he’s got this year, he’s a real threat.”
Foden’s lack of action has led to speculation over his relationship with Southgate, but team-mate Jack Grealish dismissed the suggestion.
Grealish told BBC Sport: “People always used to say, ‘Ah, he’s got a problem with Jack’ last year or two years ago, and then I come on and it’s like, ‘Oh, he likes Jack now, who is it next?’.
“And then I know people were saying, ‘He doesn’t like Madders [James Maddison]’ and now Madders is in, so it’s fine with him, and then Phil didn’t play, so it’s like, ‘He’s got a problem with Phil’.
“He hasn’t got a problem with anyone. He speaks to all of us the same. If you’re not playing – Phil didn’t play the other night – he’s still the same with Phil as he is with me, when I came on, or Harry Kane.
“He’s not got a problem with anyone. If he did have a problem with someone, you’d know about it.”
