The Manchester City midfielder has suffered a knock and missed training on Saturday, with the Three Lions squad having now travelled to London ahead of Sunday’s final.
Foden is a doubt
Phil Foden is an injury doubt for the Euro 2020 final showdown with Italy, Gareth Southgate has confirmed. The Manchester City midfielder has suffered a knock and missed training on Saturday, with the Three Lions squad having now travelled to London ahead of Sunday’s final. He now faces a race against time to be ready for the crunch clash at Wembley Stadium, with Southgate, who must leave three players out of his matchday squad, having a decision to make. Three Lions boss Southgate told reporters on Saturday evening: “He’s a doubt. We’ve been on the bus for the last couple of hours. The medical team will give us a final update later. It’s not something that’s serious, and it’s just a case of whether it keeps him out of this particular game.” The remaining 25 players in Southgate’s squad were involved in the final training session at St. George’s Park.
The 21-year-old has seen only 25 minutes of action across England’s last four games
All 26 members of the England fold have passed UEFA-mandated PCR coronavirus tests ahead of an eagerly-anticipated meeting with Italy. The highly-rated 21-year-old started this summer’s European Championship in Southgate’s starting XI. He was included from the off in group stage outings against Croatia and Scotland, as the Three Lions collected four points. Foden then slipped down the pecking order and has seen only 25 minutes of action across England’s last four games. He was introduced off the bench during extra-time against Denmark, as Southgate’s side edged their way to a 2-1 win and into a first major final since 1966. Alternative options to Foden are being favoured at present, with the clamour for Jack Grealish to see more minutes earning him a start against the Czech Republic.
Bukayo Saka was also included from the off in that fixture, with the Arsenal star getting the nod again for Germany and Denmark matches. Jadon Sancho, who is in the process of finalising a move to Manchester United, got an opportunity to impress in a quarter-final tie with Ukraine and could come back into the reckoning against Italy. Marcus Rashford is another looking to force his way into Southgate’s thoughts after being restricted to a bit-part role so far.