Qatar World Cup: Gareth Southgate’s England team may take a hit ahead of the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup.
One of the key players in the Southgate team, Kalvin Phillips, is currently going through a very taxing shoulder injury.
The English midfielder joined Manchester City at the start of the season when the Citizens paid a £42million transfer fee to Leeds for his signing.
However, since then the midfielder played just 13 minutes for them all season and is injured.
Qatar World Cup: Kalvin Phillips to undergo surgery
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips was earlier named in Southgate’s 28-man squad for upcoming Nations League matches against England and Germany.
However, he has not yet recovered from the injury and will not be able to play these matches.
Since his debut in 2020, Kalvin Phillips has become an integral part of the Southgate team. Partnered by Declan Rice, the midfielder plays at the base of the English midfield.
He was also part of the English team that finished runner-up in the last European Championship. Phillips’ exploits for the national team earned him the 2020–21 England Men’s Player of the Year award.
However, since last season, the midfielder has been struggling with a shoulder injury. He has missed a lot of competitive soccer in the recent past.
City and Phillips’ medical team are now considering surgery to permanently heal his injury. However, undergoing the surgery will make him questionable for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup will start on November 20.
Southgate will name his team for the Qatar World Cup on October 20. Unfortunately for him, the way things are at the moment, he will probably have to go without his star midfielder.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Kalvin Phillips, Jude Bellingham is expected to start alongside Rice in the England midfield.
As well as Bellingham, Brentford striker Ivan Toney will also have a golden opportunity to secure his place in the World Cup. The Brentford striker made his debut for the national team and is expected to feature at some point against Italy and Germany.
Full England squad for the upcoming Nation’s League tie
Goalkeepers: Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson
Defenders: Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, Fikayo Tomori, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham, Ivan Toney, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen, Jack Grealish.
