Phil Foden has thanked Gareth Southgate for his handling of a controversy in September last year that saw both him and Mason Greenwood dropped from England duty.
The pair were sent home for breaking Covid guidelines after they made their international debut on a trip to Iceland, amid allegations of inviting girls back to their hotel room.
However, Foden returned to the international set-up amid a run of sensational form for Manchester City. Ahead of the European Championship, the 21-year-old remains grateful to England boss Southgate for giving him a second chance.
What did he say?
"I made a massive mistake," Foden told reporters from St George's Park. "I was young. But Gareth said if I keep just doing well and keep performing I should get another opportunity.
"So I had to work hard for it and there are not many managers who would give you another opportunity, so I have to thank Gareth a lot for giving me another chance."
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Foden on England fandom
"I was a massive England fan growing up," Foden added. "I couldn’t really name just one player. I just loved the full team.
"Together there were so many great players. I believe that we should have got more from the team that we had. We just want to focus on what we’re going to do now and create our own history."
Despite being born four years after Euro 96, the playmaker has shown off a bleached hairstyle that has led to comparisons with Three Lions legend Paul Gascoigne.
Foden is also known to enjoy collecting Panini stickers for his albums.
"When I was last with England they gave us the collection to complete," he said when asked about his collection.
"So I had that in my room when I was bored. Just putting them in, something to do and then I started enjoying it even more. I started collecting a few more and I still do that now."
Born in Stockport, it is also well-known that Foden is a boyhood supporter of Manchester City, recently starting his club's first ever Champions League final which they lost 1-0 to Chelsea through a Kai Havertz goal.
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