Phil Foden is not guaranteed a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad, manager Thomas Tuchel has said.
Tuchel spoke after England’s 1-0 loss to the Japan national football team at Wembley, where Foden struggled before being taken off.
“Well, it’s not a guarantee that he will come,” Tuchel said.
The 25-year-old has had limited game time at Manchester City, starting only four of the club’s last 15 matches.
Tuchel, however, praised his effort in training.
“Obviously he didn’t have a lot of minutes for City recently, then he came to camp with the brightest smile and was so good in training,” he said.
“And I thought he will just surprise us… but, yeah, he struggles to have the full impact.”
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With Harry Kane out injured, Foden played in a central role but failed to impress. He was later replaced by Dominic Solanke.
Tuchel added:
“If we put offensive players on the pitch we demand offensive actions… and we clearly didn’t have enough.”
England must submit their final squad by May 30, leaving Foden with little time to secure his place.