Phil Foden explains key difference between playing for Man City & England | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted he feels a different level of pressure when representing England.

Foden's role with the Three Lions is often the subject of intense debates as fans seek to find a way to help him replicate his club form at international level. Last year's Premier League Player of the Season has scored just four times for England, the last of which came back in November 2023.

The City favourite started Thomas Tuchel's first England game, a 2-0 win over Albania, on the right side of attack, but failed to catch the eye and subsequently reignited a debate which centres around his role in a team which, at the peak of its powers, also includes Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.

In an interview with GQ, Foden admitted there is a significant difference between playing for club and country which makes things a little more complicated.

"For both, everyone's watching and rooting for you to do well, but [there are always] people who are going to judge you no matter what," he began. "I feel like there's a lot more pressure in an England shirt to deliver.

"You've got a different manager, a different way of playing, playing with players you don't play with on a regular basis, so there's a lot of things when you go to the national team that are different to the club. But I don't approach them differently. I try to work out the players as much as I can - where they're going to run, what movement they're going to do."

Foden is yet to carry his form over from club level / Matt McNulty/GettyImages

Foden went on to admit his excitement at what could be a "different atmosphere" under new boss Tuchel.

"Yeah, we're all looking forward to the new chapter and to see what Thomas is about," he continued. "I’ve never worked with him before, so it's going to be a new experience and I'm excited to see what he's like.

"Sometimes when there's a new manager, it creates a different atmosphere, so I'm really hoping that it's going to be good. A lot of us had a lot of respect for Gareth [Southgate], for what he did for us as a person. Getting to the final and not being able to win it for him is... it was just gutting. Seeing Gareth leave was gutting too because he was such a good guy and a good coach. But that’s football – things happen and people move on."

Alongside his struggles for England, things have not been smooth sailing for City this season either. Foden has seven goals in 24 Premier League games to date and has reportedly inspired doubts among his club colleagues.

"Being in this position, I've not really been used to it, so it’s just something you've got to take on the chin," he reflected. "Unfortunately it's just one of them seasons.

"We can still finish it off strong and we've just got to remain positive and trust in everything that we've done and stick together. You can't always be at the top and be the best. There's ups and downs in football; it's just about reacting and thinking about the next game. It has been strange, because now I'm only playing once a week [after being knocked out of Europe] - I'm not used to having more time on my hands."