Thomas Tuchel did not frame Phil Foden's omission as a simple form call. He said he could not settle on the Manchester City forward's best position, and that he did not want to bring players who might be uncomfortable if used out of position. Foden has 7 Premier League goals this season, but Tuchel has given him only one start since taking charge in January 2025.
Why Tuchel said Foden was left out
Speaking to goal.com, Tuchel said: "With Phil, it's a little bit different, he was excellent in camp for us…not only in training but also out of it." He added that it "hurt me a lot actually to tell him this decision" and said he was unsure whether Foden is "a 10, is it a false 9, is it maybe more of a Bernardo Silva role in the future as an 8?" Tuchel also said his job is "not necessarily to select the 26 most talented players" if those players are not ready to buy into their role.
That is the real point here. The England head coach is not just asking whether Foden has quality. He is asking whether he has a role Tuchel can define with confidence, and whether he wants to use him in a way that avoids leaving him "uncomfortable, unhappy."
The numbers do not suggest a player who has vanished. The stats pack puts Foden on 13 goals and 8 assists across all competitions in 53 appearances, with a Premier League rating of 7.03 and a Champions League rating of 7.19. Across his last 10 matches, he averaged roughly 7.0, including a 9-rated performance with 2 assists on May 13.
What Walker says about Foden's best position
Kyle Walker has backed the argument for a central role. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said Foden's best position is "in the pockets" and that he thinks of him as a No.10. Walker also said Foden has been "a little bit unlucky" waiting for others to vacate the No.10 role, while adding that the manager has not put him there.
That view matters because it supports the idea that this is about usage as much as form. Foden has 14 appearances at major competitions for England, so this is not a case of an inexperienced player being hyped beyond his level. It is a case of a player whose strongest arguments may sit in the middle of the pitch, while Tuchel is not yet convinced that is where he fits.
England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and Tuchel has chosen to move without Foden for now. If that call changes, it will be because the role question changes first."
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →
