Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be fit to play in the World Cup for England next month.
That is according to injury expert Ben Dinnery, who was speaking on Wednesday evening’s instalment of Premier FPL Injuries ahead of this weekend’s top-flight fixtures.
Phillips, who has previously been described as a “destroyer” by former England boss Steve McClaren, has been out of action since September after undergoing surgery on a shoulder problem, with the midfielder facing a race against time to be fit for the World Cup later this month.
City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that the midfielder is taking part in partial training sessions but has also indicated that he doesn’t feel the former Leeds United man is ready to be thrown straight into action yet.
But Dinnery still believes that there is a chance Phillips could be involved in England’s World Cup campaign, which begins on 21st November against Iran.
He said: “Pep Guardiola said he’s progressing really, really well.
“And while his availability for City hangs in the balance, I’d suggest he probably won’t feature before the break.
“He could be available for England, in theory – he is taking part in aspects of first-team training, although it’s still non-contact at this moment in time.
“So it’s difficult to see how he could progress maybe over those next 9 or 10 days to force him into the reckoning for Pep Guardiola’s starting XI, but certainly [he could] for Gareth Southgate’s team.”
TIF Thoughts on Dinnery’s comments…
We think it would come as a nice boost to Manchester City and England if Phillips was to be available for the World Cup, with the Leeds-born midfielder able to provide an extra option for Guardiola and Southgate.
The 23-time Three Lions international had been described as a “revelation” during England’s run to the Euro 2020 final in his only previous international tournament, starting each fixture as Southgate’s side eventually finished as runners-up.
Therefore, we think that both Guardiola and Southgate will be hoping that Phillips can build up his fitness ahead of the World Cup and find himself on the plane to Qatar in a few weeks’ time.