Foden Left Out of World Cup Squad—PFA Cites Fixture Overload
Phil Foden, one of Manchester City's most decorated players, has struggled to replicate his previous form in recent seasons and was omitted from the World Cup squad.
Phil Foden, who alongside John Stones and Bernardo Silva is Manchester City's most decorated player, spent his entire City career under Pep Guardiola, who ended his ten-year stint at the club in May. After City's Treble-winning season, Foden set a high bar with a career-high 27 goals and 12 assists. However, the subsequent two seasons have been less productive as his role in the side changed.
Last season, the pacier options of Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo fed striker Erling Haaland from out wide, with Rayan Cherki often preferred as the playmaker in an attacking midfield role. That meant Foden occasionally operated deeper, limiting his ability to score and supply the killer pass. Last season Foden scored seven goals and assisted five times in 33 Premier League games, while the previous campaign he scored seven and assisted twice in 28 top-flight matches.
After being left out of Tuchel's World Cup squad this summer, the Professional Footballers' Association said Foden had been a "victim" of football's packed fixture schedule, adding he "has not been the version we saw two years ago".
