“They have to” – Former Arsenal ace implores Gareth Southgate to do one thing for Man City star

As the European Championship approaches, former Arsenal and England star, Alan Smith, has implored Gareth Southgate to do one thing for Man City’s Phil Foden.

The 23-year-old has been in fine form for his side this season and scored a brilliant hat-trick against Brentford last time out.

He remains an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s squad, but hasn’t always been a first choice for his national team manager, something Smith believes now has to change.

“I was looking at Phil Foden’s stats this season and he has actually played in and started a lot of games for Pep this year, in a number of different positions,” he said to NewBettingOffers (h/t DAZN).

“I came away from the game against Brentford, where he scored a hat-trick, thinking that he has to start for England. They have to find a starting place for him at the European Championship because he’s that good.

“From an England standpoint, he is now ahead of Jack Grealish in the pecking order. I think that will be how it appears in Gareth Southgate’s mind. Now we just have to hope that he can continue that form for club and country.

“England have now got a few players that you could say they need to build the team around with the likes of Foden, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham. It’s all about finding a good balance because Gareth Southgate has an embarrassment of riches in his squad. That means there is even more pressure on him to get it right. He needs to find a way of getting the best out of Foden, Bellingham, and the like.”

It’s important that Southgate doesn’t fall into the trap of previous England managers and plays the big names rather than those players that are in form.

The Three Lions have come close to achieving silverware under the current manager, and this summer’s competition may be the last chance that Southgate gets to break a duck that’s haunted the English national team managers since 1966.

Should City go on to record yet another Premier League title and Foden continue the rich vein of form that he is in at present, then he has to be a shoo-in as far as starting the games in Germany is concerned.

At the end of the day, Southgate will live and die by the decisions he makes, though this would appear to be one of the easier ones.