The Manchester City star was a peripheral figure as the Three Lions beat Serbia in their opening game of Euro 2024 last weekend but has played down concerns that he and the Real Madrid midfielder are unable to click at international level.

Foden said: "Jude’s obviously an exceptional talent. He carries himself really well. He’s a leader now, I think he’s turning into a leader. I think our link-up play is good at times and I think it’s improving as well, and can keep getting better. So he’s an exciting talent and I enjoy playing with him."

Foden has faced criticism from pundits for his ineffective performance against Serbia but he insists that getting a win to start the tournament off was the only thing that mattered.

He said: "I think the first game of a major tournament is always the most difficult. I think it’s important to get off to a win and, yeah, we did that. It was difficult at times. Obviously, we had to defend at times and dig deep.

"But I think that shows a different side to us and if we’re going to win something, I think that we have to do that."

Ian Wright was among those who questioned Foden after the Serbia game and suggested that the player needs to make things happen himself when he is struggling to make an impact on the pitch.

The ITV pundit said: "I don’t think Phil Foden played well, he didn’t get into it. People talk about Foden and his positions. I can understand that because of how good he is as a footballer, but he didn’t get into the game.

"We can’t always blame the system. He needs to make it happen for himself and demand the ball."