Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has claimed that Manchester City's Phil Foden "could have played in Antoine Griezmann's position" during their World Cup quarter-final loss to France.
Gareth Southgate named Foden in his starting line-up for Saturday's 2-1 defeat, as England bowed out in heartbreaking fashion once again. Harry Kane - who agonisingly sent his second penalty of the game over the bar in the closing stages - played through the middle, with the City star occupying the left wing and Bukayo Saka playing on the right.
Foden struggled to make an impact on the game, as he was eventually replaced by Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute.
ALSO READ: Erling Haaland's dad hints at Man City star's exit date and potential destination
Despite the majority of pre-match build-up focusing on Kylian Mbappe, it was Griezmann who managed to produce the telling cross to pick out Olivier Giroud to score what proved to be the winning goal for France. The 31-year-old Atletico Madrid man occupied a central role in midfield behind the former Arsenal striker, with Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele playing on either side.
After Foden was left on the bench for England's 0-0 draw with the USA in the group stages, Southgate faced vociferous criticism for not bringing the versatile midfielder on from the bench. The Three Lions boss explained after the match that this was in part due to the youngster not playing centrally under Pep Guardiola at club level, an area where he felt substitutions were needed, bringing on Jordan Henderson instead.
However, Eriksson has now claimed that Southgate could have used Foden in very similar fashion to Griezmann in central midfield, rather than using him solely on the left wing.
He told OLBG : "Phil Foden could have played in Antoine Griezmann's position for England, you have Bellingham as an attacking midfielder too because he can do everything.
"England's midfield had a good balance, but Griezmann is serious business, he has always been a very good player. He was the best player for France against England."
You can vote for Man City stars to be named Fans Footballer of the Year 2022 - cast your vote below or by clicking here.
READ NEXT:
