Anthony Gordon has claimed that it is futile to play Phil Foden in one position.
Gordon has played against Foden and as a result, he realises where he can hurt teams.
The Newcastle United winger has also trained and played with the 24-year-old for England.
As a result, Gordon perhaps has a better understanding than most of the kind of player the Manchester City technician is.
Anthony Gordon shares whether the left-wing suits Phil Foden
With Foden starting as a left-winger in England’s 1-0 victory against Serbia, there has been a debate about where he would play his best football for his country.
The Englishman had a game to forget, with Wes Brown claiming that Jude Bellingham was playing in the Stockport-born attacker’s most-suited role against the Serbians.
On paper, the six-time Premier League winner played out wide but on the pitch, he was given the license to come infield.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Gordon has stated that in his view, it is pointless to play Foden as an out-and-out left-winger.
The former Everton speedster said: “That was the gameplan because it suits Phil [Foden] to come in so we’re naturally not going to have width on that side and Trips [Kieran Trippier] is also not a left-back so he’s obviously going to be a bit more stable, a bit more defensive than maybe Luke [Shaw] would, he’d be pushing right on.”
“But that was the gameplan and like you said, I’m going to say it, it worked and we won. But we’re also playing to players’ strengths. There’s no point sticking Phil wide left, he’s better in the pockets of space where he can control a game and create from central areas, you’ve seen that this year.”
Gordon concluded: “But like you said, I was chomping at the bit to get on but I never and that’s alright, we won the game and that’s the important thing.”
England’s biggest priority should be to get the best out of Phil Foden
As Gordon rightly stated, Foden is at his best playing in central areas instead of as a wide forward.
In the lead-up to England’s next game in the European Championship against Denmark, their biggest priority should be to discover how to get the best out of the £225,000-a-week man.
Whether that is by analysing clips from the Three Lions’ win against Serbia to assess why Foden was unimpactful, showing the players where they should have involved him more in the game or asking the man himself — it is paramount to find a solution.
Foden is the type of player who could lead England to glory at Euro 2024 and regardless of where the plan to play him is, there should be an added confidence that he will perform after having gone back to the drawing board in recent days.