Micah Richards has hailed Manchester City star Phil Foden as "fearless", as he slammed England manager Gareth Southgate following claims that the 22-year-old was being put under too much pressure.
After Foden was left on the bench for England's disappointing 0-0 draw with the USA last week, the outcry over the City star's omission has been seismic. Southgate turned to Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford instead, yet neither player managed to find the vital breakthrough to unlock the opposition's defence.
Southgate has since warned of the pressures being put on Foden's shoulders, as he defended his decision not to bring on the City man during the draw. However, Richards has now criticised the England manager, as he claimed that the youngster is in the form of his life at the moment.
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He told the Daily Mail Sport YouTube channel : "From a players point of view, you don't feel pressure. The only time you feel pressure as a player is when things are not going well, when people are starting to question what you do. Foden has been in the form of his life this season, and you're fearless when you have that, so I wouldn't say pressure.
"From our side [the media], we do tend to build people up. I had the same thing with Pep, I was saying: 'Why is Foden not playing?', and to be fair, Guardiola just introduced him at the right moments and right times. Everyone was saying he should go on loan, but he stuck around it was all about timing.
"But whether you want to start Foden or not, that wasn't really my argument. It's about introducing him into a game where you [England] were getting overrun in midfield. And then when USA would defend, they would defend with numbers and they needed someone to get in that little bit of space who could unlock the door.
"So in terms of pressure, it's playing for one of the biggest performing clubs in the world in Man City. So you're fearless right now, so I don't really understand the argument to be honest."
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