Phil Foden targets England recall and says he has had no contact with Tuchel
Phil Foden said on 3 November 2026 that he is aiming for an England recall and that he has had no contact with Thomas Tuchel, speaking before Manchester City’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Foden said he wants to force his way back into England selection after being left out of the squad for last summer’s World Cup and the Nations League games this season by Tuchel, and acknowledged the next round of England selections – the squad for which will be named on Friday – may come too soon for a recall. “Hopefully, one day the call-up might come back. It’s one of those things [being dropped]. Football is full of ups and downs. You have to try your best, keep putting on performances.”
Asked about contact with Tuchel since the World Cup, Foden said: “No, I haven’t really spoken to him to be honest, so not much to say on that.” He also addressed a September sending-off in Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat, which came after 23 minutes and led to a three-match ban; because the red card fell a week before the last international window he did not play again for more than a month.
Reflecting on the enforced break, Foden said: “Obviously, I had the unfortunate red against United but the break did me good, I came back fresh and sharp. I’ve been involved in a lot of goals recently and I’m happy. Personally [the season] – it’s gone really well. I took some family time [after the red card], went on holiday. It was a very long time, which felt strange. It gave me time to work on things I need to work on. I felt like I could help the team.”
City manager Enzo Maresca conceded the team cannot rely on Erling Haaland to score in every match and urged greater support from the squad, speaking ahead of the RB Leipzig tie. “It’s very important that in each game we create chances. For sure when you have Erling inside the pitch, it’s better because he’s going to score goals. But you know that he’s always there, close. At the same time, we cannot rely on Erling for every game.
“We need the rest to score goals. But I think the last game against Brighton was the only game of the season where we didn’t score. If Erling is on the pitch, we are happy. But also we need the rest to score goals.” Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Brighton was the first time Maresca’s side had failed to score this season.
Statistical context from the club was provided alongside Maresca’s comments: City have racked up 36 goals in all competitions, Haaland has 13 goals, which is seven more than the next highest scorer, Rayan Cherki, while Foden has four goals, including a hat-trick in City’s last European outing against AEK Athens.
Foden was reminded of his 27-goal haul in the 2023-24 season and asked if he can supply more support to Haaland; he replied: “Hopefully,” he said. “[The key is] keep playing regularly, being happy and positive. Being in the right positions and hopefully I can get back to that level now. I’m getting there slightly more now.”
City’s next confirmed fixture is the Champions League group match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, and England will name their next squad on Friday.