Middlesbrough supporters might be more surprised than most at Phil Foden's struggles for England: View | OneFootball

England got off to a winning start at Euro 2024 on Sunday, with a 1-0 win over Serbia, but they did so largely without the attacking contribution of Phil Foden.

The Manchester City winger has enjoyed a phenomenal season with the Citizens, with his 19 goals and eight assists playing a huge role in ensuring it would be City who lifted the Premier League trophy.

But the 24-year-old hasn't yet been able to fully translate his club form to the international stage, and he's so far struggled to make the desired and expected impact in a Three Lions shirt.

That trend continued in England's Euro 2024 opener vs Serbia on Sunday, with the winger registering no shots on goal, whilst creating just the one chance during the full 90 minutes.

One of the Serbian players tasked with preventing Foden from making an impact in the game was former Middlesbrough defender Milos Veljkovic, and so Foden's largely ineffective showing will be more of a surprise to Boro fans than anyone else.

Veljkovic didn't show signs of international stardom at Boro

The 28-year-old Veljkovic lined up on the right side of a Serbian back three, with Foden operating on England's left, it would be largely down to him to keep Foden quiet.

And that's exactly what he did, as the vast majority - including the goal - of England's joy coming down Bukayo Saka's right flank. This largely stout performance from Veljkovic will have came as a surprise to Middlesbrough fans, given the way his spell on Teesside went.

Developing through the academy ranks of Tottenham Hotspur, Veljkovic had made a handful of first-team appearances for Spurs when he joined Middlesbrough on a short-term loan deal back in 2014.

He came with international pedigree, having already represented Serbia at various youth levels, and was signed as a versatile defensive option, who could also play in midfield if then Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka wished him to.

But after making just three appearances for Boro in the Championship, and a solitary showing in the FA Cup, Veljkovic returned to Spurs in January 2015.

He was then quickly shipped back out on loan once again to fellow second tier side Charlton Athletic, but after making only three Championship appearances for the Addicks too, his time in English football was about to come to a close.

Veljkovic has enjoyed success in Germany

Following his inability to forge out a career in English football, Veljkovic decided a move across the continent was in order, and he signed for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the winter transfer window of 2016.

Bremen's Weserstadion is where he's called home since then, making 226 appearances for the club, with only one of the nine seasons he's spent with the historic German side being spent outside of the Bundesliga.

The Serbian has been a consistent member of Bremen's starting XI since the 2016/17 season, with his 24 appearances in all competitions during the 2023/24 season just gone being the lowest number of games he's played for them since 16/17.

Veljkovic's 115 accurate long balls were only bettered by 4.4% of Bundesliga centre-backs in 2023/24, whilst his seven successful crosses were only bettered by 3.3% of German top-flight central defenders - per FotMob.

Middlesbrough fans will no doubt have been slightly taken back to see Veljkovic's name on the Serbian teamsheet, and with his performance in the game, but looking over his career since departing the North East suggests that it shouldn't of been a surprise at all.