Phil Foden has opened up on the injury heartbreak that ruled him out of the EURO 2020 final, and hopes to make up for it by firing England to glory at the World Cup.
Foden missed the Euros final at Wembley last summer after picking up a freak foot injury in training. The Manchester City attacker injured himself attempting a clever touch at the end of a training session, meaning he had to watch from the stands as England suffered a heart-breaking penalty shootout defeat to Italy.
A year-and-a-half on and Foden is now a key part of Gareth Southgate's side, and is hoping to make amends during England's World Cup campaign in Qatar.
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At the launch of the latest McDonald's and FareShare announcement, Foden told The Mirror : "I missed probably the biggest game of my life through doing something stupid. I’m just trying to keep fit and healthy - and work hard now to put the performances in for England."
England have not had the best 16 months since the Euros final. The Three Lions are winless in six competitive matches, and in September were relegated from the top division of the UEFA Nations League after failing to win any of their group games. Results like the 4-0 home defeat to Hungary raised questions over Southgate's ability to build on the success of the last two major tournaments.
It's because of those successes though - Southgate led his side to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup - that England are still expected to go far in this year's tournament. Foden is keen to live up to those expectations.
"That’s the pressure we put on ourselves after doing so well in previous tournaments. That’s what we have to live with, everyone backing us. We know we have so many experienced players in the squad, who have played in the biggest games and can handle this kind of pressure.
"We have to be professional about it and to do our talking on the pitch, do our best and see where it gets us. We have to come off the pitch and know we gave our all."
Foden played a key role in England winning the U17s World Cup five years ago, but this will be his first senior World Cup. He was in Russia for the last edition and believes the experience helped his development.
"The one I remember the most is the last one - it was nice to get the experience and to be close to the team and see what they do. I was hoping I could be in the team some day too. I was out there with Mason Mount and now we are in the team together so it's a bit crazy how things work out."
Foden has teamed up with McDonald's, who are partners of FareShare and help them with their mission to redistribute surplus food to charities that turn it into meals.
"McDonald’s and FareShare are making sure more than one million meals get to people across the country who need them most. I really hope that this partnership means more families can enjoy a good meal this winter and create some amazing memories of their own."
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