Football NewsMicah Richards says England striker Phil Foden should start Euro 2020 against Croatia
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Former City defender Richards has urged England boss Gareth Southgate to be bold with his squad selection and says Foden won’t fear facing anyone.

Foden is fearless

Ex-England international Micah Richards says Manchester City striker Phil Foden should start Euro 2020 against Croatia and urges him to make his mark in the competition. Phil only turned 21 on May 28, but he was a significant part of City, winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. And Former City defender Richards has urged England boss Gareth Southgate to be bold with his squad selection and says Foden won’t fear facing anyone. “Foden has shown this season that he is fearless; nothing scares him,” Richards told reporters. “You know how it feels when you’re in a team or in a squad; whether it’s a big competition or not, we tend to just go with the tried and trusted, rather than someone who has been in shape.”

England will lose a little faith

“Just because he is 21, people worry that it will be too much for him, but he is in the best shape of his life, so play him. You can see him play; nothing scares him, just having this freedom to go inside and do what he does, so of course, I would play him. “Many believe that England could fight defensively at Euro 2020, with Harry Maguire in a race against time, to be fit for the tournament. But with more attacking options, Micah, who was the youngest defender to perform for England as an 18-year-old in 2006, says the coach should play to his strengths and play without fear. “What will end up happening if we go defensively, we’ll lose a little faith in what we could achieve,” he added. “When you have this quality, why not use it?”

“We know England aren’t the best defensively anyway, and sometimes the best form of defence is attack. You wouldn’t see the Brazilians saying: ‘Oh, we have all these players, but we should go defensive because we are playing against a good team’.” Richards also believes Southgate can use Pep Guardiola to transform City as a plan for success with the national squad. “He’s got to look at Guardiola, the way Manchester City play and see that he has got all these players playing so well,” Richards added. “Gareth can be his manager and do what he needs to, but you can always take and learn different things like how can I affect the march by playing a certain way. That little bit of added experience from Guardiola’s influence can play a key role in what they need.”