The reasons why Phil Foden will go to the World Cup and will sign a new Man City contract

The 25-year-old has struggled for game-time recently and only has one more full season left on his current Etihad deal but suggestions there could be a parting of the ways are wide of the mark

At least Phil Foden’s darts game is coming on nicely. When he played at the media centre during Euro 2024, Foden arrived at the oche with a lofty reputation but did not set the board alight.

But at the Three Lions Darts Championship at St George’s Park - a team-bonding wheeze of the Football Association's - Foden hit a maximum, much to the astonishment of John Stones. Perhaps his Manchester City team-mate was surprised that Foden has kept his sporting eye in.

Foden will enjoy this international break. He has always been a cheery presence in camp, if a bit, er, mischievous in his early days.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don't miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Remember when he was sent home from Iceland, along with Mason Greenwood, after breaching coronavirus quarantine guidelines? That was in 2020, and since then, he has become much less of a rascal.

In terms of experience, the 25-year-old is a senior member of the squad. The World Cup this summer will be his fourth tournament. And he WILL go to the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel will pick him for the squad.

Understandably, there is a debate about whether the City player will make the plane but that debate was prompted by Tuchel omitting Foden - and Jude Bellingham - from a squad last October. That decision now looks as though it was more of a gentle reminder than anything else. A nudge to a couple of poster boys that no one’s place in Tuchel’s squad is guaranteed.

The Foden debate has been further stoked by an unproductive month at his club. He has not started a match since the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on March 4, a game from which he was hooked after the visitors’ second equaliser, a goal for which he was partly culpable.

But, with 23 outfield players to select, Tuchel will not leave world-class talent at home. And Foden is a world-class talent.

He will go to the States with England, which will probably mean talks over a new contract will be put on hold for a while. And a good World Cup with England - even though he is unlikely to be in Tuchel’s first starting line-up of the tournament - would be a great bargaining chip for Foden.

Other factors involved in negotiations will be Pep Guardiola's future and recruitment plans that might impact game-time, which is not always guaranteed in the here and now. But it will get sorted.

The club’s hierarchy knows that Foden is not just a player of game-changing quality, he has come to mean something more. He is a symbol of its roots, he is continuity, he is the embodiment of what the academy is about.

A totally different character but he is to City what Steven Gerrard was to Liverpool. And that is why his contract will get sorted. How many times did we hear that Gerrard might leave Liverpool? Plenty.

And in the coming weeks, we will hear that Foden might leave City. But rest assured, the chances of that happening are slim and none.