Foden asks to be left out of England squad to work on personal issues

Phil Foden has endured a remarkable drop-off in form this season. After winning last season's PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year, the 24-year-old was only able to register 10 goals in 44 appearances for Manchester City this term.

"It’s been a frustrating season for me. I've had a lot of things going on off the pitch mentally," he told 'Manchester Evening News'. "It's one of them, sometimes there's things in life that are bigger than football. This season I've struggled a little bit.

Hopefully, come next year I can get my head mentally right and get back where I left off the season before, because I know what I'm capable of doing and the quality I have. The club have been so supportive, I can't thank them enough. I know if everything was okay, I'd definitely be better on the field."

With the World Cup qualifiers coming up in June, Foden asked to be left out of the England squad to work on his mental health and fitness. "Obviously, it's a difficult situation for me with the internationals right around the corner," he began.

"It's something we have to speak about with the club and national team, to see if it's better to rest and get my ankle fully 100 percent back how I want it. I just don't know at the moment, it's a conversation to be had, and we'll see what happens."

The Man City midfielder revealed his plans to detach from football after the end of the season to work on his mental health. "I just need a few weeks off, without playing football, and obviously I can't get it at the moment. It's a bit frustrating to play with niggles like this," he said.

Having played through a serious ankle problem suffered at the start of April, Foden added: "A lot of people don't know what football players have to go through, and play with. I've had a lot of ankle pain and playing with it in the last couple of months. Some people don't see what we go through."

Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel will name his squad on Friday for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona on June 7 and a home friendly with Senegal at Forest's City Ground three days later.