“I love this kind of player” - Juan Mata names ‘most dangerous’ England player before Euro 2024 final vs Spain
Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has named Manchester City forward Phil Foden as England's most dangerous player ahead of the Euro 2024 final coming up vs. Spain this weekend.
England managed to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semifinals to book their in the final. Spain also got the better of France by the same scoreline to set up a highly anticipated decider.
The two nations will now go head-to-head in a battle to become the continental champions at the Olympiastadion Berlin tomorrow (Sunday, July 14). Ahead of the encounter, Juan Mata has highlighted Phil Foden as the Three Lions' most dangerous player.
“Phil Foden [is England’s most dangerous player in my opinion]," the former Chelsea and Manchester United star said on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel 'FIVE'. "I love this kind of player. In England, the season that he had was incredible. He’s still not that old in terms of age, but he’s won so many trophies."
"Some people are saying that he’s not performing at the same level as he does for Manchester City, but you need an environment around you to play at your best level," Mata added. "When you’re a player like him or me, we need players around [us] to play and move [with the ball]. He’s [still] dangerous and when he receives [the ball] in those little pockets, he can fire the shot [too]."
The Three Lions will be hoping to finally get the job done when they square it up with Spain in the Euro 2024 final tomorrow. Their last appearance at this stage ended in tears as they conceded the trophy to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
Meanwhile, the last time the two finalists met, it ended in a 2-2 draw on October 15, 2016. It remains to be seen how things will play out this time.
Phil Foden's stats for England at Euro 2024 so far
It hasn't been the best outing for Phil Foden at Euro 2024 so far. The Manchester City forward has failed to contribute any goal or assist despite having featured in each of England's six matches in the tournament.
Foden has come under immense criticism due to his barren run in front of goal in the competition, with critics slamming him for failing to step up to the plate like he does at club level. His numbers with Manchester City in the recently concluded campaign validates their argument.
The forward was at the top of his game with the Cityzens, bagging 27 goals and 12 assists in 53 games accompanied by several clutch moments. It remains to be seen whether he can turn the situation around by staging a phenomenal performance and make his nation proud tomorrow.