There was a time when Wembley used to be Phil Foden’s playground.
As a teenager Foden picked up the man of the match award after playing a starring role in City’s 2020 League Cup final win over Aston Villa.
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Fast forward six years and the now 25-year-old cut a dejected figure as he was hauled off after only 58 minutes with City struggling for a breakthrough against Championship Southampton.
By that time Saints right-back James Bree, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Charlton, had already won the battle of wills with Foden, who looked devoid of the swagger and confidence he used to exude on stages like this.
Where Foden would once have been City’s creative driving force, playing on the edge, he too often looked for the safety-first pass.
Having not started a game for his club in more than six weeks this was his chance to convince Pep Guardiola he can play a significant role in what is going to be a thrilling end of season run-in.
However, one ballooned effort over the crossbar just a few minutes before seeing his number come up epitomised not just Foden’s afternoon, but perhaps his season.
It is now zero goals in his last 24 appearances, admittedly many of them off the bench.
And it is a damning reflection on City’s once poster boy that his replacement Savinho posed far more of a threat as the treble chasers came from behind to book their spot in a record-breaking fourth straight FA Cup final.
City still have faith in their academy sensation and want to extend his contract, due to expire at the end of next season.Â
Boss Pep Guardiola said afterwards it was ‘just a question of time’ before Foden comes good again, but even he must be as baffled as anyone by the alarming drop in form.
It was after all only two years ago that the man dubbed ‘the Stockport Iniesta’ scooped the PFA Player of the Year award.
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It was also only two years ago that England boss Gareth Southgate was so desperate to find a spot for him in his team that he shoved him out wide as opposed to his preferred central role.
When Thomas Tuchel names his squad for the upcoming World Cup there is no guarantee Foden’s name will be listed.
On current form Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and even Morgan Gibbs-White should all be ahead of Foden in the pecking order for that hotly-contested number ten position.
Many would argue he would be incredibly lucky to make the cut, although Tuchel did start him in both of last month’s warm up matches against Uruguay and Japan.
On both occasions he was taken off before the hour, meaning City’s hard-fought 2-1 win, keeping alive their dream of a cup double and potential domestic clean sweep, brought up an unwanted Wembley hat-trick.
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