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England can secure World Cup qualification tonight and the battle for places in the squad is underway, with one Manchester City ace on the outside looking in.
As left-footed attacking players capable of playing on the right or through the middle, it was always going to be difficult for Manchester City to find room for Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
The academy graduates occupy similar areas of the pitch but had started seven games together for the Blues between November 2021 and August 2023, when Palmer opted to move to Chelsea.
His talent has flourished at Stamford Bridge, but the competition was fierce at the Etihad and as much as hindsight might suggest his £42.5million sale was a mistake, it's still not easy to envisage a role for him at City.
The difficulty of playing them both has also been clear for England. They have started twice together for the Three Lions and both have ended in Wembley defeats, to Iceland in a friendly in June 2024 and to Greece in the Nations League that October.
Both are now on the outside looking in as England stand on the brink of securing their place in the World Cup in North America next summer. With Thomas Tuchel determined to stick with the winning formula he found in September, there was no room for Foden or Palmer, who is injured anyway, while Jude Bellingham is the other high-profile absentee.
Bellingham is likely to force his way back in but with Tuchel beginning to settle on his favourites, there might only be room for one of Foden or Palmer in the final 24-man squad for the 2026 tournament.
The German has gone for Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke as his preferred right-wingers, while Bellingham will return to challenge Morgan Rogers as the No. 10 in the 4-2-3-1 system.
With Jarrod Bowen a potential inclusion as another option as a striker, it doesn't leave a lot of room for other left-footed creative players who like to play on the right side of the pitch. The race is on to make the final cut.
It might be excessive to suggest time is running out, given England can only secure qualification in Latvia tonight, but there will be just two camps left before a provisional squad is picked next summer. That is the final round of World Cup qualifiers in November and a couple of friendlies in March.
If Foden or Palmer haven't got back in the fold for either of those camps, then it might be that neither will be on the plane to the United States, Mexico and Canada, but that seems unlikely. So let battle commence.
Foden will surely be leading the race at the moment. His form this season has been excellent and he is clearly enjoying his football again. He has two goals and two assists in seven starts and Pep Guardiola has been delighted with his influential displays. If he maintains this level, he will be hard to ignore for Tuchel.
Palmer has the advantage of having shone as a replacement throughout Euro 2024, but his form has tailed off a little since his exceptional first season at Chelsea, and he is struggling with injury. He has managed just four appearances this season and is set for another few weeks on the sidelines with a persistent groin injury.
That doesn't give the 23-year-old much time to stake a claim for a place in the England squad in November, even if he is fit for those fixtures against Serbia and Albania.
Foden, however, could have the next six games to maintain his form, or even raise his level further, and get a chance to impress Tuchel. Injuries could always open up a spot for him as well.
Either way, he will know time is of the essence if he wants to make the World Cup next summer. With his likeliest rival for a place in the squad currently injured, the next few weeks are a big opportunity to gain an advantage.
English (US) ·