Phil Foden doubtful for England duty after fitness blow

Phil Foden could miss England's upcoming UEFA Nations League Fixtures after facing a fitness blow which saw him miss Manchester City's 3-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.

The Premier League champions cruised to victory at the London Stadium thanks to a hat-trick from Erling Haaland. The Hammers earned just one goal throughout the game to deny Ederson a clean sheet, albeit coming by way of an own goal from Ruben Dias.

But City were without one of their star attackers yet again, as Foden was forced to miss the game due to illness. His inability to feature in his side's fixtures has cast doubt over whether he will be able to star in England's September games - despite being named in Lee Carsley's squad.

Pep Guardiola hopes he will be back in action after the international break, but was unable to offer much more on the timeline of the midfielder's fitness.

"Hopefully not [too long]. Hopefully after the international break he'll be ready," he told reporters. "He played against Chelsea for 45 minutes but then after he didn't feel good. He had tests and feels much better, but he still doesn't feel perfect.

"I prefer we [have] that time for him to recover and be fine and after, come back after the international break and be ready for those games.”

Foden has so far played just 45 minutes of his squad's 2024/25 campaign, missing victories over Ipswich Town and West Ham. If he is to return after the upcoming break, he will form part of the squad that hosts Brentford on 14 September.

Meanwhile, interim boss Carsley will lead the Three Lions in a double header against the Republic of Ireland and Finland on 7 and 10 September. Foden was among the names listed in the head coach's first squad, but may be forced to miss out if he is unable to return to full fitness.

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