Foden a 'victim' of football's packed schedule

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden is a "victim" of football's packed fixture schedule after being left out of England's World Cup squad, says the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association.

Foden failed to secure a spot in Thomas Tuchel's squad for the tournament in North America following a disappointing season for City.

The 25-year-old was among a number of leading players discussed during a meeting of Fifpro - the global body representing professional footballers.

PFA chief Maheta Molango, who also serves on the Fifpro board, said there are reasons behind why Foden has not hit the heights of previous seasons.

Foden picked up a number of individual awards at the end of the 2023-24 campaign - including being voted PFA player of the year.

"The number of games that he's been available for has dropped and, when he has been available, it has not been the version of Phil Foden we saw two years ago," says Molango.

"Unfortunately, he is one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial gain to the detriment of the quality of the spectacle and the protection of players, who should be football's heritage.

"It's a very sad state of affairs if someone like Phil is not on the pitch because we love players who make us dream and who have pure talent."

Fifpro claim players cannot cope with "high-threshold competitive seasons" year after year without eventually suffering injuries or a decline in performance.

Data collected by the organisation indicates Arsenal's England midfielder Declan Rice and Liverpool's Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk could be at increased risk of injury or reduced form next season because of their workloads.

Van Dijk played in all 38 of Liverpool's Premier League games while Rice featured in 36 for Arsenal.

Both are set to feature at the expanded 48-team World Cup where matches will also be played in high temperatures.

Molango said he feared the World Cup will simply become a "survival of the fittest".

He added: "There is a big chance that may be the case because some of the most talented players at the biggest clubs will reach a point where it is simply too much.

"You cannot go into a competition having already played 60, or close to 60, games."