“You Simply Have To Play Him…” England Legend Calls Out Southgate For Snubbing City Star

England’s all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney says he doesn’t understand why Manchester City’s Phil Foden isn’t a regular starter at the World Cup.

Manager Gareth Southgate did not even use the midfielder off the bench in the 0-0 draw against the USA, but Rooney believes Foden should be playing:

“Technically, he is the best footballer England have. I think if you have a talent like Foden, you simply have to play him. He is now a different player from the one we saw at Euro 2020, when he struggled to make an impact. He is more mature and came into this tournament on the back of a long period of brilliant performances for Manchester City. He has the form to go with the ability. If I were him, I would be very frustrated that I didn’t get on the pitch at any stage of Friday’s game.”

There is some debate about where Foden would fit into England’s starting eleven. He usually plays off the left for City but you can’t see Raheem Sterling being taken out of the side, despite his poor performance on Friday.

On the other flank, it’s hard to see Southgate dropping Bukayo Saka, after the Arsenal star bagged a brace in the group stage opener against Iran.

The one player that many supporters feel should make way for Foden is Chelsea’s Mason Mount. The 23-year-old has not been in good form this season, and he was pretty ineffective versus the US. Hopefully, Southgate heads Rooney’s calls to start Foden against Wales.

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