'It felt like a charity sub' - Wayne Rooney hits out at Pep Guardiola for ‘sad’ treatment of Phil Foden in Carabao Cup final

The 25-year-old’s decline in minutes has been one of the more shocking storylines of City's season. Having been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2023/24, Foden has struggled to maintain his place following the arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. In fact, he replaced Cherki in the 90th minute at Wembley, highlighting how far he has fallen down the pecking order.

"I felt sad for him but not sad because he is coming on in a cup final," Rooney said on the BBC's Wayne Rooney Show. "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.”

Foden has managed just four starts in City’s last 13 matches across all competitions and hasn't found the back of the net in 20, a run that stretches back to mid-December. Rooney 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."

Despite the frustration of his limited role, Foden remained professional while celebrating City's latest trophy. The midfielder acknowledged that his form hasn't been at its peak but expressed a desire to reclaim his spot in Guardiola's starting XI for the business end of the campaign.

Addressing his current situation after the final whistle, Foden spoke on the “ups and downs” a footballer can go through.

"It’s just about how you pick yourself back up," he said. "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."

While Foden has been included 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 current situation will be weighing heavily on the midfielder's mind as the summer tournament approaches.

"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," Rooney said. "That will be a tough one for him." 

Foden will hope to impress Three Lions boss Tuchel in the upcoming clashes against Uruguay and Japan. The 25-year-old came off the bench when England finished off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Serbia and Albania in November.