Gareth Southgate: Phil Foden 'Hard to Gauge' Due to Manchester City Rotation

England manager Gareth Southgate has said it's "hard to gauge" the level of Manchester City prodigy Phil Foden due to his lack of playing time.

Foden starred for City on Sunday when they clinched the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Wembley. The nature of his performance in that encounter and various other matches this season has prompted calls for Foden to be named in the upcoming England squads.

Speaking about the 19-year-old at the UEFA Nations League draw, Southgate said he's been impressed by what he's seen from the player, although he admitted Foden's sporadic appearances for City provide an issue, per Joe Bray of the Manchester Evening News:

"The door's open for everybody. We've got 70 English players in the league and when they're of the quality of a player like Phil then of course the door's open. ...

"But it's clear he hasn't played a lot of first-team football, so it's hard to gauge his level at times. But it was a brilliant experience for him to be involved in a game like he was at the weekend. The result matters as much as it did at the start and you saw glimpses of the quality that he's got."

Although Southgate has made it clear he does have some doubts over the City tyro, according to James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, the playmaker is poised to make the cut for the Three Lions squad in upcoming friendlies against Italy and Denmark in three weeks.

After winning the League Cup, Foden posted the following message on Twitter, offering a reminder of how much progress he has made:

As a result of City's high-class midfield options, there have been times in the last three years when Foden has struggled to get consistent minutes. However, there's been an increased maturity in his play as of late, and he appears closer than ever to nailing down a first-team berth.

Per OptaJoe, when he has managed to get on the field recently, the England youth international has been productive:

While Pep Guardiola's utilisation of Foden previously has been criticised, Sam Cunningham from The i noted that the youngster appears to be benefitting from his coach's influence:

Southgate has not been shy when it comes to calling up young players, previously giving Callum Hudson-Odoi a full debut in 2019 despite the fact he had not started a game for Chelsea. As such, Foden will surely be under serious consideration ahead of the upcoming matches and the summer's Euros.

The challenge for Foden will be to continue excelling in the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. If he can become a bigger part of a well-oiled City team, there's no reason why he shouldn't be involved for his country in some capacity at senior level.