Phil Foden instructed to do what Wayne Rooney did at Man Utd to avoid England failure

Wes Brown has suggested Phil Foden should emulate Wayne Rooney's adaptability to become an indispensable player for England.

Despite being named the Premier League Player of the Season, Foden didn't quite match his Manchester City performances during England's narrow 1-0 victory over Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener. He found himself shifted from his preferred No. 10 role to the left wing, making way for Jude Bellingham in the central position.

Ahead of Thursday's game against Denmark, ex-England defender Brown reckons Foden needs to adjust his style to complement Bellingham, much like Rooney did at Manchester United to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo, reports the Mirror. The Old Trafford icon modified his responsibilities to get the most out of Ronaldo - often to devastating effect.

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"We all know Foden has had a fantastic season but regardless of where he plays, he has to get into the game more," said Brown while speaking on Reach's new Euro Thrash podcast - available on YouTube, Apple and Spotify.

"He will take a bit more responsibility because we all know how good he is on the ball, but he didn't quite get into the game. He has been used to playing in a different position for City this season, and it showed, but that is Jude Bellingham's position and you can't take Jude out of there."

Reflecting on Rooney's malleability, Brown recalled: "I'll give you a good example: Wayne Rooney, absolutely fantastic, wants the ball all the time, but when he was playing with Cristiano Ronaldo, when he was in his mood and you knew he was the guy, Wayne would start dropping back a little and start to assist him.

"Sometimes players have to be intelligent enough to do that. We know what a special player Foden can be, but Jude is special too, those are the two players that can produce in big games.

"Jude demands the ball and he just wants to get things going. Phil's got to go 'Okay, Jude's doing that bit now, so can I find the positions I have been finding all season for Manchester City?'

"Find that space off the back line, just those four or five yards where he can get his first touches that will cement that panic in the defenders."

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