Phil Foden’s England future dealt another major blow in Manchester City win at Old Trafford
There wasn’t a player at Old Trafford on Sunday with a more acute sense of the Manchester derby than Phil Foden.
The 26-year-old has been on the books at Manchester City for 18 years. He’s from Stockport and he was light blue through and through by the time he joined the club’s junior ranks.
Foden gets it. But, while clashing with the captain of Manchester United at Old Trafford might carry a certain cultural cache in the locality, getting sent off for it in the first half of a tight derby match isn’t the smartest move.
Foden’s derby red card could cost him in the long run
Bruno Fernandes might have been credited with getting the attacking midfielder dismissed on Sunday, but the United skipper made a stupid decision of his own. In the age of VAR – and there was plenty of that about at Old Trafford – getting away with kicking Foden was a matter of luck rather than skill.
In the end, Foden can count himself on the winning side even in his absence. Man City went on to win 1-0 in highly contentious circumstances and Fernandes lost a Manchester derby in the Premier League for the seventh time.
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Man City manager Enzo Maresca suffered no ill effects from Foden’s red card and will have little problem navigating his impending three-match ban, but the possible consequences for Foden himself are just beginning.
Observing his naive reaction to Fernandes’ kick was England manager Thomas Tuchel, who has been in charge since the start of 2025 but has given Foden just six of his 49 senior caps.
Tuchel clearly doesn’t need an excuse to leave Foden out of his England plans but the task of convincing him can only be made harder by a close-up view of this understandable but unhelpful lapse of discipline in a big game.
Foden missed out on the World Cup squad earlier this year and competition in his position is as fierce as ever.
Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke all went to the World Cup ahead of him. Marcus Rashford made the cut; Cole Palmer did not. Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham all featured heavily.
The problem for Foden isn’t so much that he’s on the outside and missed a great opportunity to grab Tuchel’s attention as the fact that the players on the inside are raising the standard while he’s chasing it.
Gordon has made a positive start at Barcelona and Rogers appears to be settling nicely after his move from Aston Villa to Chelsea.
Unfortunately for Foden, they’re the players in possession of the England shirts most likely to come his way, while the next group includes Saka as a proven alternative and a selection of attacking players who perform a variety of roles Foden has yet to deliver upon consistently at international level.
In that scenario, the Man City man needs to seize his chances to impress Tuchel and take steps in the right direction. Extra reasons for doubt will not do him any favours.
