Phil Foden has temporarily left England’s Euro 2024 camp and returned to the UK due to a “pressing family matter,” the Football Association (FA) has confirmed.
The Manchester City midfielder started all three of England’s group-stage matches in Germany as Gareth Southgate’s side advanced by finishing top of Group C.
But the FA said in a brief statement on Wednesday that Foden would leave the team’s GolfResort Weimarer Land base near Erfurt for a spell.
No information has yet been provided about when the player might return.
Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett, who is in Germany with the England squad, said: “It is well known that Foden is having a third baby with his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke. They confirmed that in April with a baby shower in Stockport and they put some photos on his Instagram account announcing the happy news.
“So, my understanding is that Foden wants to go back and be with his girlfriend for a very short period of time before he comes back out to Germany to continue with England and this tournament.”
England will discover their last-16 fate on Wednesday evening, with either the Netherlands or the third-placed team in Group E their first knock-out opponents in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday (5pm kick-off, UK time).
Will Foden be available for last-16 clash on Sunday?
More from Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:
“We shouldn’t delve too much into Foden’s family matters but the key word to take out of the FA statement is the word temporarily. My understanding is he has the full blessing of Gareth Southgate to do this, and that Southgate expects him to be back in camp in good time for the last-16 game on Sunday.
“How much training he might miss in the meantime is a moot point and that may have an effect on his selection or not. But there are shades of Raheem Sterling here. Just 18 months ago at the World Cup in Qatar, Sterling left the England camp and was away for several days while he went home following a break in at his home. He arrived back the day before England’s next match in the competition and that created difficulty.
“He did play in the game but perhaps wasn’t at his best and that did cause Southgate some problems in terms of preparation for the game. Now, Southgate never said he had a problem with that, and he fully accepted Sterling’s reasons for wanting to go home and be with his family, and he has done exactly the same on this occasion with Foden. He fully understands the circumstances and has allowed him to go home and spend some time at home with his pregnant girlfriend.
“So, there’s nothing untoward and nothing mysterious about this, and you don’t want to make assumptions and it doesn’t sound too serious to me either. Remember, England have five days to prepare for that last-16 encounter, which is on Sunday after they topped Group C.
“Southgate and the FA staff feel he will be back in time and will train again before that game, and so will be available for selection. But that is getting ahead of ourselves a little bit. It is a personal matter and Foden has to address that matter before he even thinks about coming back to Germany.”