Former Arsenal striker believes Phil Foden must be a starter for England following his scintillating form for Manchester City this season.
The 23-year-old helped himself to a hat-trick on Monday night as City beat Brentford to close in on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, and Smith told NewBettingOffers.co.uk that Foden needs to start for England at Euro 2024, ahead of club team-mate Jack Grealish.
“I was looking at Phil Foden’s stats this season and he has actually played in and started a lot of games for Pep this year, in a number of different positions,” said Smith.
“I came away from the game against Brentford, where he scored a hat-trick, thinking that he has to start for England. They have to find a starting place for him at the European Championship because he’s that good.
“From an England standpoint, he is now ahead of Jack Grealish in the pecking order. I think that will be how it appears in Gareth Southgate’s mind. Now we just have to hope that he can continue that form for club and country.
“England have now got a few players that you could say they need to build the team around with the likes of Foden, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham. It’s all about finding a good balance because Gareth Southgate has an embarrassment of riches in his squad. That means there is even more pressure on him to get it right. He needs to find a way of getting the best out of Foden, Bellingham, and the like.”
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