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- Phil Foden left England’s Euro 2024 camp on Wednesday and returned home
- The Manchester City star and his partner Rebecca Cooke welcomed a baby boy
Phil Foden is set to return to England’s training camp tonight after attending the birth of his third baby.
The Football Association confirmed on Wednesday that the Manchester City star had returned to the UK to due to a ‘pressing family matter’.
Foden boarded a plane back to England straight after Tuesday’s draw against Slovenia to be with his family.
The attacker’s partner Rebecca Cooke has had a baby boy and Foden is now due to return to Germany on Thursday evening with hope he can train in some capacity at the team’s Weimar base on Friday.
It was revealed in April of this year that the 24-year-old and Cooke, 22, were expecting their third child. The family posed in front of a blue and white balloon arch that had eye-catching LED letters that spelt ‘Baby Foden’ on it.
The family celebrated their exciting news with a lavish baby shower, sharing pictures online of the celebrations.
An FA Spokesperson said: Phil Foden has temporarily left the England camp and has returned to the UK for a pressing family matter.’
Cooke and Foden share a son Ronnie, five, and a daughter, True, who turned one earlier this year.
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Ronnie, who has his own Instagram account that has four million followers and is run by his parents, shared an insight into the baby shower celebrations on his social media account.
The post read: ‘Had an amazing day with the most amazing people.’
After finishing top of their group, England have drawn Slovakia in the last 16 of Euro 2024. Should England progress, they are set to take on the winner of Switzerland’s last 16 clash against Italy.
Foden and Cooke are childhood sweethearts, and reportedly initially met at a party when they were teenagers and have been together ever since.
The pair, who both hail from Stockport in Greater Manchester, largely keep their relationship largely out of the public eye, with Cooke keeping her social media accounts private.
The pair welcomed their son Ronnie into the world back in 2019, with Foden, who was 18 at the time of his son’s birth, having previously spoken on the transition to becoming a father to his young son Ronnie.
‘I was there for the birth. I walked out of the room, gave it a little tear and then went back in like nothing happened,’ he said during an interview with Manchester City.
‘I’m not one for crying in front of people. I like to be on my own, but I was there in the room, watched it happen and it was a special moment.
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‘Your life changes. There’s no free time, which is probably why I’ve been struggling to fish as much.
‘I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. He’s been quite well-behaved, to be honest. He’s not been making it hard for me, which is good.
‘He sleeps through until about 7am. I haven’t really had to get up in the middle of the night, so I’ve been able to get my sleep.’
Foden is the youngest professional footballer to win six Premier League titles after helping Pep Guardiola’s side claim their fourth consecutive trophy earlier this season.
He was also named Premier League Player of the Year and the Football Writer’s Association Player of the Year for his outstanding performances for Manchester City during the 2023-24 campaign.
Speaking on his family life, a source close to the star said to MailOnline: ‘Phil is very close to his family, particularly his parents.
‘They, along with Rebecca, have been a constant source of support for Ronnie when he has felt the pressure and when things have got tough.’
Rebecca and Foden live in a luxury £2million mansion in Bramhall, Manchester with the footballer purchasing the house when he was 18 after breaking through in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo is pushing to earn his first start of Euro 2024 against Slovakia on Sunday.
The Manchester United star has come on as a substitute in two of England’s three group matches, and was particularly impressive in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Slovenia.
Mainoo replaced Conor Gallagher that evening, and the youngster is a strong contender to play in Sunday’s last-16 tie.
If he plays, Mainoo is expected to play alongside Declan Rice, despite the fact England’s midfield lynchpin missed training on Thursday.
Rice, who has played 62 matches since the start of the season, was rested and is expected to join in full training on Friday.
Kieran Trippier, who only returned from a calf problem on the final day of the domestic season, also missed training Thursday due to ‘load management’.