England got the Thomas Tuchel era off to a winning start on Friday night but one star drew the ire of Roy Keane for his performance against Albania.
There was great intrigue surrounding Tuchel's team selection for his first game in charge, and he gave England debuts to both Dan Burn and Miles Lewis-Skelly in defence.
Tuchel also gave starts to both Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford in his attacking line, despite both enduring mixed form during this Premier League campaign.
England laboured at points but ultimately ran out deserved 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Harry Kane and debutant Lewis-Skelly. However, neither Foden nor Rashford set the world on fire up front.
Speaking on ITV post-match, Roy Keane gave Manchester City star Foden an ultimatum if he wanted to continue playing for England. He also nonsensed a recurring argument about the 24-year-old's place in the attacking setup.
READ HERE: Hallgrímsson Again Praises Irish Fans After Huge Turnout In Plovdiv
READ HERE: Ireland Player Ratings As Two Stars Shine In Crucial Gritty Win In Bulgaria
Roy Keane rips into Phil Foden after England beat Albania
Roy Keane appeared alongside Ian Wright in the ITV studio on Friday night, and gave an honest assessment of Phil Foden's poor performance in attack for England.
Keane said that neither Foden nor Marcus Rashford will have impressed the new manager, and said that Foden's performance levels were well below what should be expected.
If you're one of them attacking players and you've come off the pitch and you've dominated a game like that against a poor Albania team...you've not scored a goal, you've not had a shot on target, you've not tested the goalkeeper. You would be disappointed because you're there to affect games.
You've got a new manager, you want to make a good impression. Rashford and Foden certainly didn't do that today.
I think [Foden] might be lacking in confidence. He's definitely off it, his club form is not great. We know he's got that quality but even tonight when he was getting it...when Foden's at his best, you're sitting there going, 'Something's going to happen.'
Even when he cuts in, gets the pass out, gets a shot away. He did none of that today. When he got the ball tonight...I don't expect anything from Foden at the moment.
Foden's form was an issue for England on the road to the Euro 2024 final last summer. He consistently stuck out in the English attack with his poor performances, with many putting it down to Gareth Southgate supposedly playing Foden out of position.
Manchester City have gotten the best out of Foden when he has been played as a #10, but that role is firmly Jude Bellingham's in the England team.
When that issue was suggested to Roy Keane as a cause of Foden's poor form, the Irishman issued a brutal takedown.
"You can't go down that road again of where he wants to play," Keane bit back, "Wherever he's playing, you [need to] affect the game. You affect the game in different ways. He didn't do that tonight.
"Foden won't have that problem coming up about where he wants to be playing because he won't be playing."
Hard to argue.
For a player who has impressed so much at club level, it has been a long time since Phil Foden was in any way impressive in an England shirt. His place in the team could be in trouble if this form continues.
