Phil Foden made the most of his summer break by treating his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke to a jewellery shopping trip in Cheshire on Thursday, after the heartbreak of missing out on a place in England’s World Cup squad.
The Manchester City star was among the high-profile omissions from Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada. Alongside Foden, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire were also left out.
Battling the blistering heatwave, the 26-year-old midfielder headed out for the day with his childhood sweetheart, who was dressed in a stylish navy blue playsuit.
A stunning fall from grace
Foden’s omission marks a remarkable fall for a player who two years ago was being tipped as a future cornerstone of the England side. The 2024 PFA Players’ Player of the Year started the Euro 2024 final against Spain and was seen as destined to lead the Three Lions into the 2026 World Cup.
But a dismal campaign at club level cost him his place. Foden registered 10 goals and seven assists in 49 appearances for Manchester City this season, but his form dipped dramatically in the second half of the campaign. He hasn’t scored since November and endured a 24-match goal drought that spanned much of the season’s latter stages.
The writing was on the wall as early as April, when Tuchel warned that Foden’s place was far from guaranteed. The German coach had handed Foden a chance to stake his claim against Uruguay in March, deploying him in the number 10 role with Harry Kane left out. But Foden failed to make any impact, floating around as a peripheral figure before being substituted in the 56th minute.
“I would say he was excellent in camp but, yeah, he struggles to show it on the pitch,” Tuchel said of Foden in April.
Tuchel ultimately favoured Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze in the attacking midfield roles.
‘Gutted’ but looking ahead
Foden has previously blamed “mental fatigue” for his poor form this season, admitting: “I just need a few weeks off it without playing football.”
Speaking at Tommy Fury’s boxing fight earlier this month, the midfielder said he was still looking forward to watching the tournament from home.
“I’m looking forward to it. Obviously I’m going to watch England. I hope they do well, I’m rooting for them. I believe they can win it,” he said.
However, his Manchester City teammate Nico O’Reilly — who was selected for his first World Cup — revealed that Foden was deeply disappointed.
“I spoke to Phil and he’s gutted,” O’Reilly told reporters from England’s team hotel in Kansas City. “It’s unfortunate for them not to make the squad and they’ll be gutted but now is the time to rest and be ready for next season.”
Pre-season on the horizon
The midfielder is set to return to Manchester City for pre-season training on July 15, before the club travels to Asia for a string of friendlies in early August.
Childhood sweethearts and family life
Foden and Cooke have been together since their teenage years, after meeting at a party. The couple are parents to three children: son Ronnie, born in 2019; daughter True, born in 2021; and a second son, born in June 2024.
The pair sparked engagement rumours last year when Cooke was spotted wearing a large diamond ring on her finger. Reports suggested Foden had whisked her away on a romantic New Year’s Eve trip to Paris, where he is believed to have proposed.
With England’s World Cup campaign now underway in the United States, Foden will watch from home — hoping to rediscover the form that once made him one of the most exciting talents in English football.
