Foden handed England debut v Iceland in Nations League

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden will make his England debut after being selected to start Saturday's Nations League match against Iceland.

Foden, 20, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at City last season, featuring with increasing frequency in Pep Guardiola's first team. He made 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight times – a haul that included five of his six career strikes in the Premier League.

Particularly strong form after lockdown persuaded Gareth Southgate to call up Foden, who has 15 England Under-21 caps and was a star performer during the Three Lions' U-20 World Cup triumph in 2017. Foden looks set to line up on the left of a midfield three anchored by West Ham's Declan Rice, with Southampton's James Ward-Prowse another surprise inclusion.

Kieran Trippier starts in the unfamiliar position of left-back, with Southgate having opted against selecting a specialist in his squad.

 

September 5, 2020

Saturday's Nations League Group A2 encounter is the first meeting between the two countries since Iceland stunned England with a 2-1 upset win in the last-16 phase of Euro 2016. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling both featured in that match and line-up alongside Jadon Sancho in Southgate's forward line in Reykjavik.