Sam Allardyce’s theory on why Phil Foden was left out of the England squad by Thomas Tuchel

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Thomas Tuchel has selected his England squad for the 2026 World Cup, and there were a number of notable omissions.

Despite playing fairly consistently in a Manchester United side that finished third in the Premier League, Three Lions regulars Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw did not make the team.

Elsewhere, Phil Foden was excluded by the German, and Sam Allardyce has suggested it is because the Manchester City man is poor when he plays off the left.

Phil Foden can’t play off the left for England

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, he said: “Phil Foden’s got left out because he’s had a bad season, and on the basis of Phil Foden doesn’t play well down the left for England. I don’t think he plays well down the left for Man City.

“And at the moment, the amount of people in midfield like Bellingham and that you know, where do you fit them all.”

In his absence, Tuchel has taken Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon as his main left-wingers, with Noni Madueke also able to play in that role if needed.

Gordon and Rashford are not bad options, but Foden’s 2025/26 season has perhaps not been as bad as Allardyce has suggested.

How Phil Foden compares to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon

Rashford has had an impressive season while on loan at FC Barcelona, scoring 14 and assisting 14.

However, Gordon, especially in the Premier League, was fairly inconsistent for Newcastle United.

He scored four in one Champions League game versus Qarabag, which inflated his numbers somewhat.

Meanwhile, he found the back of the net six times and assisted two goals in the Premier League for the Magpies.

Foden, in comparison, scored 10 and assisted seven in 50 games, with 28 of those matches seeing him used through the middle.

But it is worth noting that in the six games he did start as a left winger in 2025/26, he netted three times.