For the first time in eight years, England go into a major tournament with the undisputed best player of the Premier League in their ranks. Phil Foden cleaned up when it came to the 2023-24 individual prizes after his virtuoso displays for Manchester City, taking the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award as well as being named the Premier League Player of the Season award after scoring 27 goals for his club and contributing 12 assists. The PFA award will surely follow in August, too.
The last time an England player won the Football Writers' award was Jordan Henderson in 2020, and the last time before a major tournament was Jamie Vardy in 2016. Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, earned the award ahead of the 2010 World Cup. But on both of those occasions, England bombed and the prize-winner flopped.
In 2016m Vardy was not even a starter, behind Harry Kane in the pecking order for then-manager Roy Hodgson, making one start in four games and failing to rescue the Three Lions from the bench in their humiliating 2-1 defeat by Iceland. Rooney, meanwhile, went to South Africa reeling from an ankle injury which he had continued playing through. Unsurprisingly, he offered little in a hugely disappointing World Cup for England, who came second in a group they were widely expected to top and were then thrashed 4-1 by Germany in the last 16.
But there are no concerns around Foden's fitness or any question that he will start in the Euros. Instead, the main debate centres around where he will play in Gareth Southgate's system.