Man City star Phil Foden returns to England camp after baby news

Phil Foden has jetted back to Germany after the birth of his third child with girlfriend Rebecca Cooke, having left the England camp earlier this week.

Manchester City forward Foden, 24, departed England's training base in Germany for a 'pressing family matter' on Wednesday and has now confirmed the arrival of his third child with girlfriend Rebecca. The couple are already parents to son Ronnie, 5, and daughter True, 2.

He had flown back to England straight after Tuesday night’s draw with Slovenia and his partner Rebecca gave birth to a baby boy. But Foden made a whistle-stop trip and was due back in on Thursday night after getting a flight back to Germany from the UK.

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The forward will now return to Germany to reunite with the England squad ahead of their last-16 clash with Slovakia at Euro 2024 on Sunday. Foden started all three group games, with England struggling to live up to pre-tournament expectations despite topping their group.

He will be expected to train on Friday and should therefore be in contention to start again for England’s clash.

Manager Gareth Southgate has come under fire for his use of Foden, who has played on the left-wing, as fans and pundits call for him to be given more license to play centrally as he does for City.

In April, shortly before Foden and his family held a baby shower for their new arrival, Pep Guardiola said he hoped the baby would help Foden reach his full potential on the pitch.

“I would love him to go in sixth gear in every single action but afterwards you are less precise, you lose the ball all the time and that is not effective,” Guardiola said. “You have to reduce the time so you know the moments when you have to be more aggressive and calm.

“But it’s a question of time. He can improve a lot and has improved a lot from the beginning of the season and from the previous seasons. Maybe with the third kid that is coming for his family, that will help him.”