John Stones convinced England will soon see best of Man City team-mate

After a fine season at the Etihad Stadium, Foden has struggled in England's opening two Euro 2024 fixtures.

The challenge for manager Gareth Southgate to accommodate all of the attacking riches at his disposal is one he is still seeking to find an answer to.

Foden has operated off the left in both the 1-0 victory over Serbia and the 1-1 draw against Denmark that leaves England on the cusp of qualifying as Group C winners, even if performances have not been well-received.

Slovenia are next up for Southgate's side when they travel to Cologne on Tuesday night and Stones believes Foden will soon hit his stride.

"I think Phil, personally, loves playing through the middle," Stones told talkSPORT.

"He's played every position up top for us at City. It's a difficult one and I'm glad I'm not the manager to make those decisions. Wherever Phil plays, he's incredible, he's a top player. Obviously, everyone has their strengths in different positions.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion again and I'm sure it brings up some good debates. I just want Phil to enjoy his football, that's when he's at his best. I don't think any of us can walk off the pitch and say we played our best game ever.

"As I said before, it's about us improving and giving everything. But with Phil, if he keeps working hard as he is in training, scoring the screamers he does, eventually it will come out on the pitch.

"He drifts a lot anyway, he finds pockets of spaces. I hope he continues to be himself and impose himself on games. I'm sure it will come very soon."

Stones reckons England are "growing" into the tournament as a whole after widespread condemnation of their start in Germany, with supporters jeering the team off against Denmark as pundits and former players were also quick to criticise.

"We're trying to achieve something that's never been done before," added the Manchester City defender.

"I think sometimes we can get ahead of ourselves, the whole nation, getting excited and rightly so. I think we have to put it into perspective, see where we are and be positive about everything. Sometimes we can concentrate on the bad more than the good.

"I think we're in a good position, could be in a better one, but we've got the chance to make it even better on Tuesday. That's the exciting bit for me, we're growing. We've spoken as a team about clarity, about what we're looking to get out of the game, what we need to do better as individuals."