Is Phil Foden's England career doomed like Paul Scholes'? Man City star told he's being misused like Utd legend was as he's warned to 'turn up' against Denmark or face Three Lions axe

The former England striker went on to compare Foden's international career to that of Paul Scholes as he felt that just like the Manchester United legend, the Manchester City star is being used in a position - left wing - that he is not familiar with.

Foden's performance on the left side of the attack was below par in England's Euro 2024 opener where they picked up a narrow win over Serbia courtesy of Jude Bellingham's first-half strike. Cole further advised the Cityzens' Player of the Year to drastically improve his game against Denmark or face the axe from the lineup in the remainder of the tournament.

Speaking to Betfred, the 52-year-old said: "I won’t be the only person that says this but to get the best out of Phil Foden, you need to play him where he plays for Manchester City. It’s a similar scenario to Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard when Scholesy had to play on the left-hand side of the midfield for England.

"You’re accommodating players because you have pressure from the outside world and the media are saying that Foden needs to play but ultimately, he ends up being played in a position where they’re not going to get the best out of him. As you’re not going to get the best out of him, when he doesn’t play well it’ll be easier to leave him out of the team. Sometimes you can’t get all your best players in the starting eleven."

When asked which player should be sacrificed to accommodate Foden in the team, Cole added: "It probably would be Foden if someone has to be sacrificed. When you try to accommodate all your best players and it doesn’t work out, then a decision has to be made. In management at the international level, you can’t please everyone. Look at Didier Deschamps with France, he doesn’t try to please everyone. Instead, he tries to pick the best team for specific games."

Gareth Southgate's side will now aim to seal a knockout spot by making it two wins in a row on Thursday as they take on Denmark in their second Euro 2024 outing.