England Player Ratings: Phil Foden 'in danger of missing out on World Cup squad'

The Mirror's chief football writer John Cross fears for Manchester City star Phil Foden as he rates England's World Cup 2026 squad hopefuls

Manchester City star Phil Foden is "at risk" of being left out of England manager Thomas Tuchel's squad for the upcoming World Cup finals, as the midfielder continues to struggle behind Pep Guardiola's new signings.

Foden entered the season with huge ambitions. City had just allowed long-time craftsman Kevin de Bruyne to move on, and an opening in Guardiola's team emerged that many expected the 25-year-old would fit perfectly into.

Instead, his limited role in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday hinted at Foden's challenge - an 88th-minute substitute, kept out of the starting XI by the newest additions to Guardiola's squad.

Named from the offset were Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, whose goals helped put City into a two-goal lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Even in the wake of Jeremy Doku's latest injury picked up during last week's Champions League action, Guardiola preferred to push full-back Rayan Ait Nouri up into a left midfield spot over starting Foden.

As part of a new weekly series 'England Player Ratings' counting down to this summer's World Cup, The Mirror's chief football writer John Cross gave his verdict after watching Man City's 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

"How can you judge him [Foden] as an 88th-minute substitute? It’s harsh. But he was brought on for two minutes of normal time and then nine minutes of injury time.

"Too little, too late. He always looks ready, determined and hungry but could not unlock a way through for City," he said, giving the City star a 5/10 rating for his performance.

On current overall form, it is not much better, as Cross rates Foden a 6/10. He fears an inability to reclaim his spot in Guardiola's team could ultimately lead to a major omission by Tuchel when the England manager comes to naming his World Cup squad this summer.

"This is the bigger worry. He has been eased out by Cherki and now Semenyo. The issue for Foden is there is so much competition at City. Can he get enough minutes to get back into top form?

"One big name is going to miss out. Will it be [Jude] Bellingham, [Morgan] Rogers, Foden or [Cole] Palmer? They cannot all go.

"One who is either not playing well or just plain unlucky will not go. Foden is in danger," Cross concluded, with a final 7/10 rating for making Tuchel's World Cup squad.

FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester City Facebook page

Guehi and O'Reilly 'on the plane'

This can be contrasted with his City teammates Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly, who did start against Spurs last weekend. Cross gave both defenders a 9/10 England squad rating.

On Guehi, he answered: "He will start the World Cup in central defence - absolutely no question. He is top quality. Thomas Tuchel may have had doubts initially but has quickly seen that he, and Ezri Konsa, are England’s best pairing.

"Overall, Guehi looks in good form. He has gone to City, made a positive impact and that says much about his quality."

And looking at O'Reilly's rapid rise this season, Cross predicts: "He is in pole position for the [England] left back slot and, unless anything dramatic happens, he is nailed-on for the first game against Croatia."

You can have your say and choose your England squad below...