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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about Phil Foden's omission from the England squad
Pep Guardiola backed Phil Foden to return to the England squad if he can keep up his current form for Manchester City.
Foden had a disrupted start to the campaign with issues keeping him out of the Wolves and Brighton games early on, but has been transformed since the September international break. A goal against United, an assist against Napoli and a goal and assist against Huddersfield have accompanied a run of six straight starts where he has impressed.
England manager Thomas Tuchel did say on Friday that Foden was 'back to influencing, deciding games for City' but said that he wanted to stick with the squad that he had worked with last month.
“It’s only three weeks now since the last camp and the last win [against Serbia], the last performance. So the question was, why not bring the same group in?” Tuchel explained. “Because they set the standards and now it is about creating habits out of it.”
Guardiola was not critical of the decision - he rarely is of other managers - but does believe that Foden is in the right mood to find his way back into the squad. A strong showing at Brentford, where he has an excellent record, will be another step in the right direction for the 25-year-old.
"Thomas knows what he needs for the national team a trillion times better than me. All I can say is that if Phil is still playing like he is playing, he will be back," he said.
"I am happy when players go to the national team but I am happier when they come back healthier. He’s the best player we have in small spaces in the final third by far. Last year we missed his goals and assists."
John Stones and James Trafford were named in the England squad on Friday, while Nico O'Reilly and Rico Lewis were both called up to the Under-21 squad. O'Reilly has been targeted by Chelsea for some time but recently signed a new contract.
“We want him, so we did the effort that we need to help him stay here longer. I’m really pleased because Nico is growing a lot," Guardiola said last week.
“Since he started playing, I think we have lost just one game in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. Nico helped us a lot, he improved his aggression, [he’s dangerous] from set-pieces, with the ball and we are really pleased.”
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