Iceland vs England: Phil Foden makes senior Three Lions debut in Nations League match

Manchester City midfielder has been rewarded for his fine performances at club level last season

Phil Foden will make his senior England debut tonight (5 September) as Gareth Southgate’s team take on Iceland in the Nations League.

Foden, 20, was involved in the Three Lions’ youth set-up from the under-16s right through to the U21s, but the group match in Iceland marks his first time pulling on the national team shirt at senior level.

The midfielder has been gradually brought into Manchester City’s first team by coach Pep Guardiola over the past few seasons, having come through the club’s academy, and he made 38 appearances in all competitions last term – scoring eight goals and recording nine assists.

As a reward for his fine performances for City, Foden was named in the England starting XI to face Iceland. The 20-year-old will line up in midfield alongside Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and either Eric Dier or Declan Rice – with one of those two players deployed at centre-back.

Ahead of Foden and his midfield team-mates will be captain Harry Kane, flanked by Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and City’s Raheem Sterling.

Jordan Pickford of Everton starts in goal, while Kyle Walker – another City team-mate of Foden’s – plays in defence alongside Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, Kieran Tripper, and whomever does not start in midfield out of Rice and Dier.

The last time England met Iceland was in the last 16 of the Euros in 2016, with Roy Hodgson stepping down as Three Lions coach following an embarrassing 2-1 defeat that saw his side eliminated from the tournament.

Current boss Southgate will hope for – and expect – a better result as his team begin their Nations League campaign for this season.

In 2018/19’s inaugural Nations League, England finished third after defeating fellow losing semi-finalists Switzerland on penalties.