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Gareth Southgate sends Phil Foden a warning ahead of the Wales clash.
The numerous requests for Phil Foden to play have Gareth Southgate concerned that they will put too much pressure on the 22-year-old.
In England’s 6-2 triumph over Iran in their World Cup opener, Foden came off the bench. However, he made no appearances in the 0-0 draw with the United States.
Many criticized Southgate for that, believing the Manchester City star could have been the one to break the tie and inject some creativity into what was otherwise a lifeless performance going forward.
Since then, there have been increasing calls for Foden to start against Wales, which worries Southgate.
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“We have to be careful because we are putting a lot of pressure on him now,” he said.
“We’re a team and we need all of the players and they can all play a part but not any one of them is the reason we will win or lose.
“We need to make sure we are not building Phil into a situation where actually if he steps on the pitch this is becoming really difficult for him because the level of expectation is beyond a young guy who is still establishing himself internationally, in a different environment from his club where you’re comfortable with all the players you play with, it’s really distinctive, you’re going home every night, you’re calm with everything else.
“This is still a unique environment. He is still a really young player and he’s doing brilliantly well and we love him to bits. We also have got to look after him a bit as well.”