The group stage of the 2024 European Championship, which has numerous Manchester City players featuring in it, is almost complete.
The Manchester club boast the highest number of players (14) at the tournament in Germany out of all the clubs in the Premier League.
This highlights the strength and quality that Pep Guardiola has in his squad at the Etihad Stadium.
It also showcases why the Citizens have been so dominant in the top flight over recent years, lifting six Premier League trophies over the past seven seasons.
Despite that, one pundit has suggested that one of City’s key players should be dropped for his country’s upcoming match.
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Jermaine Jenas thinks Phil Foden should be dropped for England vs Slovenia
A recent article from BBC Sport saw numerous pundits share their ideal starting XIs for England’s match against Slovenia this evening.
In Jenas’ version, he had three changes from the XI that Gareth Southgate has used in the tournament so far, one of which being Anthony Gordon coming in for Phil Foden.
The pundit then had this to say on why he thinks this move would be ideal for the Three Lions.
He said: “Anthony Gordon needs to come in. He’s not a better player than Phil Foden, but he naturally holds the width on the left and runs forward off the ball, which is what we’re missing.”
Southgate should play Gordon and Foden
The 24-year-old has started both of England’s group games of the tournament, completing 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Serbia, with a display that Southgate described as “exceptional” (via The Guardian), and then playing 69 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Denmark.
In both of these matches, Foden has been deployed in a left-wing position rather than the attacking-midfield role where he admitted to the official Man City website back in May that he likes playing the most.
Bearing in mind how he scored 13 goals in the 15 games he appeared in for City last season as an attacking-midfielder, it comes as no surprise that the six-time Premier League champion, who Stuart Pearce recently backed to shine for England consistently in the future, has relished playing there.
However, with Gordon scoring 11 goals and delivering 10 assists for Newcastle United across the 35 Premier League games he featured in last term, it’s understandable why Jenas would like to see the Toon star in the England team for tonight.
In our view, Southgate should start Gordon in his natural left-wing position, but also keep Foden in the team and play him in the attacking-midfield role that could get the best out of him.