According to former England defender Neville, powerhouses such as Brazil would give Foden more of a chance on the big stage than England are allowing him.
Foden watched on as Gareth Southgate's men laboured to a 0-0 draw at the Al Bayt Stadium, delivering a largely turgid performance that was far removed from the opening 6-2 win over Iran.
The American opposition were more threatening for large parts of the game than much-fancied England, and substitutes Jack Grealish, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford did little to change that.
Foden, a favourite of Pep Guardiola at City, made an appearance off the bench in the Iran game, but Southgate elected to keep him off the field this time, even with England lacking attacking spark that he might have provided.
Speaking on ITV, Neville said: "I was disappointed not to see Foden. For me, that talent is huge. I've not seen anything like that. I know we've got [Jude] Bellingham, we've got Grealish, we've got others.
"Gareth prefers [Mason] Mount, he prefers [Bukayo] Saka, he prefers [Raheem] Sterling at the moment, but for me for Foden not to be in amongst that in a starting XI, and to not come off the bench was interesting.
"I'm torn a little bit because I've got huge respect for Gareth and what he's achieved. He's achieved more than any [England] manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, but we've got a couple of talents there on the bench in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Foden. In terms of opening up a game, Trent Alexander-Arnold's got some of the best deliveries you'll ever see from a full-back.
"Those two not coming off the bench was a little bit disappointing in the sense that if you're going to try to win the game, they're world-class talents.
"Other nations – Spain, Brazil, France – probably would have Trent Alexander-Arnold and Foden in the starting XI, and I understand it a little bit having watched Trent Alexander-Arnold defend, but when you see a game like that where we lack creativity and where we can't really create any chances, you think, those two players, really should they be in there?"
Neville said England's overall display was "poor", and rated the USA midfield performance higher than England's effort in that area.
His former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane agreed Foden should have played a part and was blunt about England's dour display.
Keane, a former Republic of Ireland midfield general, said: "We were all stood watching the game saying 'Foden'.
"You fully expected Foden to come on with the options, and the subs that did come on didn't really have an impact
"I know they did well the other day, but England did look leggy, they looked one-paced, they looked short of ideas. Even set-pieces, you never felt they had a goal in their locker from that. So actually it was a terrible performance."
City failed to score at home for the first time in 58 matches in all competitions, but it was Haaland's general play which failed to impress Keane.
The Norway international had four shots in total - the most of any player on the field - but none of those tested David Raya in the Arsenal goal.
"The level of his general play is so poor and not just today," Keane said on Sky Sports.
"I think laying his stuff off, headers, whatever it might be…. In terms of in front of goal, he's the best in the world.
"But his general play for such a player it is so poor. Not just today, he has to improve.
"He's almost like a League Two player, that's how I look at him. His general play has to improve and it will do over the next few years.
"Being a brilliant striker is fantastic, but he has to improve his all-round game."
City's stalemate with Arsenal marked the first time they had played out a 0-0 draw in the league since March 2022 against Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola's men have slipped to third place, three points behind leaders Liverpool after the Reds' 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Haaland, who has 18 goals in 24 league games this term, will hope to get the nod when City return to action against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Rashford was the star of the show in a 3-1 win that sent United through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The England forward created the opener for Antony at Old Trafford, then showed sublime skill to force Conor Coady into an own goal that cancelled out the Everton defender's prior equaliser.
Rashford got the third goal himself, dispatching a stoppage-time penalty at the end of a display manager Ten Hag described as "90 minutes of threat".
Keane, in his role as an ITV pundit, said: "The beauty of watching Marcus tonight was this is what I expect of him now. I'm not surprised by what I've seen.
"He's becoming hopefully one of the main players for United; can he get them back to winning trophies? He's taking responsibility.
"Tonight, with two assists and a goal, I'm thinking I expect this now from Marcus every week. He's obviously playing with a confidence."
Confidence is undoubtedly key for a player who has scored in five straight matches and seven in a row at Old Trafford, but Ten Hag also highlighted the importance of his team-mates.
"It's about bringing him in the right position," he said in a news conference. "He has to do it, but make sure as a team we create spaces, so he is coming [with] his strengths.
"That is Marcus doing really well, but also the team is doing very well to get the right shape.
"So, he can bring his strengths in, and I think then he is unstoppable, with his speed, with his dribbles, with his directness."
Ten Hag, like Keane, is confident Rashford can maintain those high standards moving forward as United retain an interest on four fronts this season.
"Of course, as a striker, you measure goals [and] assists," Ten Hag added. "Today he had two assists and one goal, so it's great.
"He has fantastic skills, and when he has that mental stability, he can keep going.
"That demands a lot, first from him, also from us as a team, an organisation, to make sure we have the right environment, the right culture. When he keeps focused like this, I'm sure he can keep this process going."
The Manchester United captain walked away from the international stage after Ireland’s 0-0 draw with Switzerland which left them fourth in their qualifying group.
Keane’s decision was the second time he had retired from international football after his high-profile fallout with then manager Mick McCarthy in Saipon during preparations for the 2002 World Cup.
Keane returned under the management of Brian Kerr in 2004 and played his last game during a 1-0 defeat to France in Dublin a year later.
“Like all football supporters in the country, I am disappointed that the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup finals,” Keane said.
“Much as I would like to continue playing for my country, I feel the time has come to retire from international football and concentrate on domestic football for whatever is the remainder of my career.”
In November 2005, Keane left Manchester United by mutual consent, putting an end to a 12-year stay where he made 480 appearances.
Former Manchester United and Ireland skipper Keane served as Martin O’Neill’s number two during his five-year reign, and has admitted a return to the international set-up is something he might consider.
Asked about the vacancy on the Stick to Football YouTube show, the 52-year-old said: “International football, I enjoyed it when I was a coach.
“I liked the dynamics of it where you’re not in every day and it’s not about bringing players in and dealing with the board every week or the academy.
“Yeah, that does appeal.”
Keane is a man who continues to divide opinion in his native country, not only as a result of his premature return from the 2002 World Cup finals in the Far East after a bust-up with then manager Mick McCarthy, but also because of his forthright approach to management.
There is little doubt his return would be box office, just as his spell as O’Neill’s assistant was, but whether he is the man to rekindle Ireland’s on-field fortunes is a topic for debate.
The Football Association of Ireland opted not to hand Kenny a new contract following November’s friendly draw with New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, which came in the wake of a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley, who won 40 caps for Ireland, has been high on the FAI’s list since they launched the recruitment process, with another experienced former international, Chris Hughton, among the favourites to replace Kenny.
Hughton was not available when the job came up, but he is now after being sacked by Ghana following their failure to make it to the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
It is understood the FAI hope to make an appointment before the Nations League draw in Paris on February 8.
Ireland are due to face Belgium and Switzerland in a friendly double-header in Dublin in March.
