Phil Foden faces 'different challenge' away from Man City as Julian Alvarez snubbed

Man City star Phil Foden faces a ‘different challenge’ in an England shirt than he does on the domestic side, according to Three Lions’ boss Gareth Southgate.

The 23-year-old has been hailed as the best player in the Premier League at the moment by Pep Guardiola. He has been a standout performer in City’s challenge for another Premier League title.

But Foden is yet to make the same impact on the international stage. On Saturday evening he played the full 90 minutes of England’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Brazil at Wembley Stadium, it was his fourth start in a row for the national team, but his fifth game without either a goal or an assist.

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“I think at moments we saw that (quality shown at City),” Southgate said on Foden’s performance against Brazil after the game. “We’ve several players missing, so some of the combinations are different, some of the interplay is different.

“I thought him and Jude (Bellingham) at times in the first half combined well. But, again, he’s also playing against a high-level side.

“We’re not dominating 75 per cent of the ball, which at times is the case with his club. It’s a different sort of a challenge, but I wasn’t unhappy with Phil’s performance.”

Foden will have another chance to make an impact when England take on Belgium at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night. After that game, there will be just another two friendlies before the start of the summer’s European Championships.

The game on Tuesday could see Foden come up against City teammate Jeremy Doku. The winger played the second half of