PHIL-GOOD FACTOR

Foden smiling again and that's bad for defences

- JEREMY CROSS

FOUR months ago Phil Foden was in a dark place.

And his low point came at the end of a gruelling and miserable season, when he asked the FA to leave him out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad.

Down the decades, some superstar names made it their mission to skip national get-togethers.

Tight hamstrings came to the rescue of those who viewed representing the Three Lions as a burden rather than a privilege.

But Foden's reasoning was genuine and more troubling.

"It's been a frustrating season for me," he said, "I've had a lot of things going on off the pitch mentally.