Man City rising star Rico Lewis has a chance to become England wildcard

The match footage now available to the England manager means that it shouldn't really matter which game they physically attend, yet their presence can still be seen as a boost to a particular player.

Gareth Southgate once noted his disappointment at going to Manchester City specifically to watch Phil Foden, only to find him a substitute who only got a few minutes off the bench. Such incidents probably don't make too much difference yet it is telling that Southgate was candid enough to reveal that when discussing why Foden wasn't being promoted as quickly as some wanted.

That connection of going to watch a player is a sign of closeness that cannot have the same impact in a phone call or a text, and is a trust that national team managers need when they do not have players with them for most of the calendar year. Southgate has to place a significant amount of his judgments on what players do when he is with them despite the fact that is only a fraction of their football.

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It creates situations like this week, where Rico Lewis kept Kalvin Phillips out of the City team for a high-profile Premier League game despite Phillips then heading off to Southgate's England squad and Lewis going to the Under-21s. Those two players rank differently in importance for Guardiola and Southgate, because of what they have and haven't done under each respective coach.

Time will tell if Phillips can retain his place as Declan Rice's back-up and enabler in the England squad for the European Championship next summer if he continues to be overlooked by Guardiola - particularly if it is