Wayne Rooney slams Pep Guardiola for Phil Foden's Carabao Cup treatment
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has expressed sadness for Phil Foden after the Manchester City star was reduced to a late cameo in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
A fall from grace
The 25-year-old Phil Foden, once named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2023/24, has seen his minutes drop following the arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. He replaced Cherki in the 90th minute at Wembley, highlighting how far he has fallen down the pecking order. Rooney said on the BBC's Wayne Rooney Show:
“I felt sad for him but not sad because he is coming on in a cup final. There was a game a few days ago when he didn't even get on the pitch. If that was Max Dowman coming on at the end, you would think good experience. But to see Phil Foden coming on in a cup final, it felt like a charity sub to get him on the pitch.”He added: “I don't know what has happened, he is a top player. It feels strange he can't get anywhere near the team. It feels like something has gone on there. I thought Foden was in good form but all of a sudden we haven't seen him get any minutes.”
Foden eyes a comeback
Despite his frustration, Phil Foden remained professional while celebrating City's latest trophy. He acknowledged his form hasn't been at its peak but wants to reclaim his spot in Pep Guardiola's starting XI for the business end of the campaign. Foden said: “It’s just about how you pick yourself back up. I’m still keeping my head down, trying to train as well as I can every day and hopefully I come back after the internationals a lot sharper and hopefully I can get more minutes and be back to where I was at the start of the season.”
World Cup concerns ahead
Although Phil Foden is in Thomas Tuchel’s 35‑man provisional England squad for the March internationals, his lack of domestic playing time is a major concern. Rooney believes the situation will weigh on the midfielder as the summer tournament approaches, saying: “Firstly he will be pleased they won the cup but from a selfish point of view, he would have wanted to be out there and having an influence. That will be a tough one for him.”
- Four starts in City’s last 13 matches across all competitions
- No goal in 20 matches, run back to mid‑December
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year 2023/24
