Jamie Carragher has criticised Phil Foden after the Manchester City midfielder was omitted from England's 2026 World Cup squad by Thomas Tuchel. The German confirmed his 26-man squad on Friday, with Foden among the notable absentees despite starting every game at Euro 2024.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher argued that Foden has only himself to blame for his exclusion. "Phil hasn't had his best season. I think we all know he's a wonderful talent, but for whatever reason, it's never quite happened for him for England," the former Liverpool defender said. "I don't think those managers should be criticised for that. Phil will probably have to look at himself."
Carragher suggested Foden lacks the "arrogance" of players like Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham. "The reason I would go for Cole Palmer is because I think he's got a little bit more arrogance than Phil Foden," he said. "Sometimes I look at Phil Foden and I think he's arguably talent-wise one of the best English players, but something is lacking—an arrogance, an ego. The shoulders are out, they fancy themselves. I think that's one of the problems why Phil doesn't show his Manchester City form in an England shirt."
Foden is not the only high-profile omission; Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Adam Wharton and Harry Maguire have also missed out. Maguire expressed his shock in a social media statement: "I was confident I could have played a major part this summer. I've been left shocked and gutted." His mother, Zoe, called the decision "absolutely disgusting" on X, while his brother Joe described it as "possibly the worst decision I've ever seen."
