Home / Football Wayne Rooney: Phil Foden cup final appearance a charity substitution Foden came on for the final moments of the EFL Cup final at Wembley Written by 101 GreatGoals Last Update: March 23, 2026 07:48:50 pm GMT 3 min read Former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney has said Phil Fodens appearance in the EFL Cup final on Sunday felt like a charity substitution. Manchester City lifted the trophy at Wembley Stadium following a 2-0 victory over title rivals Arsenal, courtesy of a second-half brace from 21-year-old Nico OReilly. With Pep Guardiolas men seeing out the contest, Foden was introduced off the bench in the 90th minute, replacing Rayan Cherki.The English international has found regular game time hard to come by during the second half of the season, starting only four of Citys past 13 matches in all competitions.Table of Contents1 Foden: There are ups and downs2 A charity subFoden: There are ups and downsFoden, who has not scored in his past 20 appearances dating back to mid-December, admitted after the final that football was not all plain sailing. He said: Football sometimes is not straightforward. There are ups and downs and sometimes you cant be the best version of yourself and thats the way it is.Its just about how you pick yourself back up. Im still keeping my head down, trying to train as well as I can every day.Hopefully I come back after the internationals a lot sharper and hopefully I can get more minutes and be back to where I was at the start of the season.A charity subRooney, speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, expressed sympathy for Foden, saying things are tough for the 25-year-old at the moment.I felt sad for him [Foden] but not sad because he is coming on in a cup final.There was a game a few days ago when he didnt even get on the pitch. If that was Max Dowman coming on at the end, you would think good experience. But to see Phil Foden coming on in a cup final, it felt like a charity sub to get him on the pitch.I dont know what has happened, he is a top player. It feels strange he cant get anywhere near the team. It feels like something has gone on there.I thought Foden was in good form but all of a sudden we havent seen him get any minutes. Firstly he will be pleased they won the cup but from a selfish point of view, he would have wanted to be out there and having an influence.That will be a tough one for him.Foden will be hoping to play a more prominent role as City chase down the Gunners for the Premier League title, while he will also have one eye on trying to secure a spot in the England squad for the World Cup this summer. He has been named in Thomas Tuchels 35-man squad for the Three Lionss two international games with Uruguay and Japan at Wembley Stadium at the end of March. Topics: Manchester City F.C. Phil Foden Wayne Rooney Follow us: 101 GreatGoals 101 Great Goals is a website dedicated to bringing you the latest news, betting tips and live streaming information from the world of football. Read more from 101 GreatGoals
