ROY KEANE slammed the performance of Phil Foden as England cruised to victory over Albania.
Thomas Tuchel’s reign began with a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win at Wembley last night.
The new boss started Foden, 24, on the right-wing despite his poor form for Manchester City this season.
But he failed to impress and was eventually hooked off for Jarrod Bowen after 74 minutes.
Foden did not have a shot and he has now not scored or assisted for England since September 2023.
Pundit Keane brutally took aim at his performance, saying: “I think he might be lacking in confidence. He’s definitely off it. His club form isn’t great, but we know he’s got that quality.
“Usually when Foden is at his best you’re sitting there thinking ‘something is going to happen’, even when he cuts in, he picks a pass out or gets a shot away.
“He done none of that tonight and every time he gets the ball I’m looking at him going, ‘I don’t expect anything from Foden at the moment’.”
His poor display comes after an underwhelming Euros campaign where previous boss Gareth Southgate was accused of not getting the best from him for using as a left-winger.
But Keane fired a stern warning, saying: “You can’t go down that road again, where he wants to play.
“Wherever he is playing, you affect the game. You affect the game in different ways and he did not do that.
“Listen, Foden won’t have that problem about where he wants to play because he won’t be playing.”
Ian Wright agreed, saying Foden was “fortunate” to even get a call-up and that he needs to “step it up”.
Marcus Rashford also had a tough night on the opposite flank and Tuchel did not hide his disappointment post-match.
He said: “We hope for more impact in these positions, more dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general that was missing.
“The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be.
“Both our wingers who started were not as impactful as they can be in club football. I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quickly to them.
“We lacked runs off the ball. It was a little bit too much passing, not enough dribbling, not aggressive enough towards goal.
“They trained very well, they were decisive in training. That’s why I also think they deserved [to start], they were very good in the last weeks with their clubs. We will keep on encouraging them.”
England ratings vs Albania as Lewis-Skelly enjoys dream debut but Tuchel fails to solve Foden issue
By Tom Barclay
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY made history and Harry Kane extended his own record-breaking as England sunk Albania in Thomas Tuchel’s first game.
Lewis-Skelly became the youngest player to score on his Three Lions debut and top goal-getter Kane notched his 70th international strike as Tuchel began his World Cup qualifying campaign with a modest 2-0 win.
New boy Dan Burn partnered Ezri Konsa in central defence at Wembley, while Marcus Rashford and Curtis Jones were also handed starts.
Meanwhile, Tuchel wrestled with the same issue faced by predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate – deciding where to fit in Phil Foden.
Left-back Lewis-Skelly, 18, slotted home on 20 minutes following a delightful turn and even better pass from Jude Bellingham.
But England stuttered after the break – until skipper Kane classily took down a Declan Rice pass and curved home the clincher.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated the Three Lions in German manager Tuchel’s opening match…
Read the full article here