Months later, Foden appeared to blame Southgate for playing him in a position he had ceased to play for City, even if it was the one where he first shone between 2019 and 2023.
"I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it," he told the Manchester Evening News in January 2025. "The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game. Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to."
It is also worth mentioning that Foden had to leave the England camp during the Euros to attend the birth of his third child, returning in a flash to ensure he did not miss any matches. Leaving his family so soon after such a big event and not being able to see his newborns first weeks in the world first-hand could not have been easy.
In Tuchel's first game in charge against Albania, Foden was deployed on the right of the attack behind Harry Kane, with Bellingham again playing as No.10. However, a few days later against Latvia, Foden was dropped to the bench and subsequently brought on to replace Bellingham in the second half. The change worked a treat, too, as Foden set up Eberechi Eze's goal to round off the 3-0 win.