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Phil Foden’s omission from England’s World Cup squad was one of the biggest surprises in Thomas Tuchel’s final selection.
The Manchester City midfielder was left out along with Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen, while Tuchel opted to include Noni Madueke in his attacking options. For Foden, long considered one of England’s most technically gifted players, it was a significant setback, even after an irregular season.
His absence from the tournament has followed him into the headlines, and that gave UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall the perfect opening when the two crossed paths last Saturday.
Phil Foden links up with Tom Aspinall as UFC champion jokes about America
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Aspinall posted a photo with Foden on Instagram last Saturday, captioning it: “That makes two of us not going to America.”
The joke worked on two levels. Foden will not be part of England’s World Cup campaign, while Aspinall was left off the guest list for UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Sunday.
That snub was particularly notable given Aspinall’s position in the heavyweight division and the fact that Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane are set to fight for an interim title on the card.
While Foden has been spotted training during his vacation, the British fighter is not ready to return to action just yet.
He is still recovering from eye surgery and has not been cleared for full training, leaving his comeback timeline uncertain.
That uncertainty has only grown following recent comments from Eddie Hearn, who is involved in Aspinall’s management. Hearn has said he does not want Aspinall fighting under his current UFC contract, claiming he is heavily underpaid.
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