Published 15:06 28 Jun 2024 GMT+1

Phil Foden has broken his silence after returning to England's Euro 2024 camp following the birth of his third child.

Despite qualifying for the knockout stages of Euro 2024, England have failed to impress at the tournament.

Dull performances against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia have provoked discontent among fans and pundits, particularly with the team selections of manager Gareth Southgate.

It looked as though the England boss had been dealt a major blow ahead of the knockout stage when Phil Foden flew home to the UK for the birth of his third child.

On Wednesday the Football Association announced: "Phil Foden has temporarily left the England camp and returned to the UK for a pressing family matter."

Bizarrely, Foden's decision to fly home for the birth of his child was criticised by a former Premier League player.

Foden's partner Rebecca Cooke gave birth to a baby boy, and Foden has now returned to the England camp ahead of a round-of-16 clash with Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.

On Friday the cameras of England's media time caught Foden taking to the training pitch at their Spa and GolfResort Weimarer Land base.

Foden responded to the congratulations of the media team members with a simple, "thank you", before trotting onto the pitch alongside West Ham attacker Jarrod Bowen.

The 24-year-old appeared to be in good spirits, and will be hoping to retain his place in Southgate's starting XI on Sunday.

Foden and Cooke have two other children. Son Ronnie - who became an Instagram celebrity during the 2022 World Cup - was born in 2019, before the couple welcomed a daughter in 2021.

It remains to be seen how Southgate decides to set his team up against Slovakia, with plenty of fans calling for Jude Bellingham to move back alongside Declan Rice in midfield to allow Foden to take up a more central position.

Featured Image Credit: FA Topics: England, Euro 2024, Phil Foden, Gareth Southgate, Football