After yet another sparkling performance for Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals last night, springing the visitors back into life after they let an early lead dwindle, it’s become more apparent than ever that Phil Foden has to start for England at Euro 2024.
To be more precise, after the likes of Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, we can’t think of another name we’d more readily put on the teamsheet than his.
It’s no secret that Phil Foden is having the best season of his footballing career this year, with last night’s fine finish to make it 2-2 and get Man City back on Real Madrid’s necks making it 22 goals and 10 assists across all competitions for the campaign so far.
You only have to see Pep Guardiola‘s reaction to understand just how great and big a goal it was in the tie – you won’t catch many other players getting congratulations like this from him mid-match:
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2024
No other Premier League player has scored more goals from outside of the box (six) this season than Foden either.
But we’ve seen countless impressive strikes from him of late and indeed throughout his seven years in the City – he scored his second hattrick of the season and third ever at the weekend, let’s not forget – so why do we now believe more than ever that he has to be one of the first names of the teamsheet?
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Well, for starters, it’s how varied his finishing ability has now become. Be it a screamer from range, a tried and tested tap-in at the back stick or even a header here and there, it looks as though the 23-year-old is starting to really open up the full locker when it comes to shots on target.
He’s always been a creator for the Blues too, but the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ is now just one assist away from matching his highest tally ever in a single campaign, with plenty of games left to play before we find out how many trophies his team will retain.
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Revered ex-pros turned pundits Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher spent a good chunk of Tuesday night’s post-match analysis discussing how Foden can make sure he carries this form over to representing the Three Lions.
Can Phil Foden translate his scintillating City form to the international stage with England?
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 9, 2024
He had the hair at the Euros last time but we still believe Foden’s ‘Gazza’ moment for England is yet to come.
But beyond the admittedly impressive stats like being the only English player to make 30+ goal contributions without a single penalty involved, it’s the unrelenting energy on the pitch that is giving us hope that he might do something special for us this summer — both figuratively and literally, in fact.
Not only is the attacking midfielder one of those terrier types that will just run and run, often leading the pressing for Pep’s side, exhausting the channels and not hesitating when moving into space, but he’s also becoming the spark that ignites City into playing at their vintage best more and more regularly
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It obviously helps a lot when you have players like Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland and the best midfielder in the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne around you; nevertheless, there’s it says a lot that he’s arguably been their player of the season and this is the kind of talent he’s competing with.
It’s not necessarily always the the case that he’s creating things out of absolutely necessarily of nothing (it’s rare Pep’s team are ever just not playing or working towards something) but whenever the treble-winners have been accused of looking complacent or not quite up to their very high standards, he’s got them across the line on more than one occasion.
He might still be a young man on paper but in relative footballing terms, he’s clearly reached a new level of maturity whenever matchday rolls around and, at the risk of sounding like we’re getting carried away, he’s been in the first team for long enough now that he’s emerging as somewhat of a leader.
You only have to hear how he spoke after the game to see the progress he’s made as a professional, telling the club: “This team’s come a long way now. When we go down we don’t put our heads down and believe in our ability. We know we can always come back from behind. It’s a great team to be a part of.”
To be honest, Phil, we think it’s you that’s come a long way. Having already proved he can perform on the biggest stage in the Champions League last year, we’re starting to imagine golden moments for England at the Euros and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Foden among the headlines.
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We’re, of course, not the only ones who now firmly believe Phil Foden has to be not just part of but central to Gareth Southgate’s attacking lineup at Euro 2024, with Man United legend Roy Keane echoing a similar sentiment, but either way this England squad as a whole is giving us a lot to be excited about.
Featured Images — Man City (via Instagram)/England
Sport
Luxury Manchester gym and pilates studio mysteriously closes
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s most premium fitness facilities appears to have closed down, leaving members and instructors in the dark.
A forfeiture notice has appeared at the entrance of Blok, a boutique gym and pilates studio in the city centre.
Members have been arriving for classes this week to find the luxury facility at Ducie Street Warehouse closed up.
Native Places, which owns the beautifully restored mill building near Manchester Piccadilly and operates the upper floors as an aparthotel, has confirmed that it’s taken ‘formal possession of the ground floor gym’.
Blok has said they believe that the forfeiture of their lease by landlords is ‘illegal’ and that the team are ‘working to get this resolved as a matter of urgency’.
The gym also stressed the Manchester is a ‘profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business’.
With three different studios, Blok opened in Manchester in 2019 offering classes ranging from dumbbell-based weight training to barre and pilates, as well as boxing, calisthenics and HIIT workouts.
Last year, the gym introduced reformer pilates to its premium offering.
And just last week, Blok had been running a Crowdcube campaign selling shares in the business in exchange for exclusive investor rewards.
Blok Manchester is inside Ducie Street Warehouse, owned by Native Places
Their investment campaign cited 175% growth in membership over the last 12 months, and promised four new flagship sites forecast to generate £1.5m in profit annually.
Alas, it appears Blok Manchester is now closed. Members have been leaving comments on their Instagram posts asking for updates, and several people are posting TikToks saying they were unable to attend their class.
One person wrote: “Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry*.”
She added: “You can still book but it’s all locked up, no one can enter the premises … I got one email that they’re having ‘trouble accessing the building’, confused why they’re still allowing people to book??”
Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry* Good Pilates/Mat/Barre/ reformer studios in Manchester. Also please no say a place that costs the same as my kidney, because that’s not cool 🙂 #BLOK#manchesterpilates#MCR#FYP
A statement from Native Places said: “Native Places has taken formal possession of the ground floor gym following the sustained non-payment of rent by the tenant.
“This action marks the end of a six-year relationship during which Native has consistently supported the tenant in their occupation of the space.
“Unfortunately, due to continued non-payment, we have had no option but to follow the appropriate legal process. The premises have now been secured, and access is restricted.”
In a statement provided to The Manc, Ed Stanbury, CEO and Founder of Blok, said: “The closure of BLOK Manchester is due to the forfeiture of our lease by our landlords, an action that we believe to be illegal. We are working with our lawyers to get this resolved as a matter of urgency.
“Whilst there has been speculation around financial pressures that may have led to this situation, we want to be clear: BLOK Manchester is a profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business.
“We’re incredibly proud of the team and community we’ve created in Manchester, and our focus right now is on supporting them as we navigate this.”
Patrice Evra issues passionate plea to Manchester United as he must miss the Europa League final
Danny Jones
Ex-Manchester United star Patrice Evra has issued a passionate appeal to his old club ahead of the Europa League final, as he reluctantly prepares to miss the game.
Evra, 44, has remained an avid Man United fan even since he left the club back in 2014 and doesn’t miss a game if he can, often lending his punditry services to the likes of Sky Sports of TNT Sports.
However, despite the biggest game of their season coming up this Wednesday, 20 May, the Frenchman has been forced to skip the match due to a recent bereavement.
Nevertheless, Evra has taken time to issue a rallying cry to Ruben Amorim and his Red Devils, urging them to “be United” and “fight” just like his loved one.
As explained in the short video, the retired left-back’s sister recently passed away at just 56 after a long battle with cancer.
Visibly emotional but determined in the clip, Evra starts by sharing his “positive energy” before trying to inject some defiance.
Noting that his sibling fought for her life for more than two decades, he goes on to add, “That’s what I want from you [United players and fans] tomorrow: just fight — bleed for this shirt, for the fans, the staff, for the people of Manchester.”
Stating that there is “no excuse” for failure and that winning their first European trophy in seven years is their “duty”, he called on the team to channel the commitment and dedication of those travelling from all over the world to see them take on Spurs in Bilbao.
As for the former French international himself, he will be making his return to sport only in an entirely different arena, with a combat sports debut coming very soon.
Wait until you see who he called out… To be fair, I think we’d prefer to watch the Evra fight even more than the Europa League final.
While the comments underneath the post are obviously filled with lots of condolences for his loss, lots of supporters are also taking further faith and motivation from his competitive spirit.
It’s a big game for the club and so many across Greater Manchester; you only have to glance at social media to sense the palpable tension. For instance, if you’re a Red, you don’t want to scroll past the video down below.
Go on then – do you think United are going to do it?
Danny Jones -
10th April 2024 
