Foden makes England call after mental health problems in ‘frustrating’ Man City season

Phil Foden says “maybe it’s better to rest” than play for England next month as the Manchester City star opened up on his mental health issues during a “frustrating season”.

Foden was named Player of the Season in 2023/2024, playing a starring role for the Citizens on their way to the Premier League title with 27 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

But he’s managed just ten goals and six assists this term, with a mixture of injury and poor form seeing him start just 20 of City’s 37 league games and playing just 14 minutes at the end of their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel will be announcing his Three Lions squad for the games against Andorra and Senegal on Friday, and Foden believes it may be better for him to be rested for those games to allow a persistent ankle problem to heal properly, and to allow him to get his head right.

The 24-year-old said: “It’s been a frustrating season for me. I’ve had a lot of things going on off the pitch mentally. It’s one of them, sometimes there’s things in life that are bigger than football.

“This season I’ve struggled a little bit. Hopefully come next year I can get my head mentally right, and get back where I left the season before, because I know what I’m capable of doing and the quality I have.

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“The club have been so supportive. I can’t thank them enough. I know if everything was okay, I’d definitely be better on the field. Sometimes things happen and you have to deal with it and move on.

“Obviously it’s a difficult situation for me with the internationals right around the corner. It’s something we have to speak about with the club and national team, to see maybe if it’s better to rest and get my ankle fully 100% back how I want it.

“I just don’t know at the moment, it’s a conversation to be had and we’ll see what happens. I just need a few weeks off it, without playing football, and obviously I can’t get it at the moment. It’s a bit frustrating to play with niggles like this.

“A lot of people don’t know what football players have to go through, and play with. I’ve had a lot of ankle pain and playing with it in the last couple of months. Some people don’t see what we go through.”