Fitness fears for England’s Phillips
GARETH SOUTHGATE has spoken of his fears concerning Kalvin Phillips’ fitness ahead of the World Cup.
The Manchester City midfielder withdrew from the current squad with the intention of undergoing shoulder surgery, which leaves him in a race against time to prove his fitness. ‘You only have to see the quality of performances for us and Leeds and the fact that he’s now moved to a big club to see his level. ‘He had a huge impact when he came into the squad and was a massive part of the run to a European final. ‘The honest answer on the injury is we don’t know. It’s obviously going to be very tight because healing from that operation is the first part and the second part is whether he can play enough football once he’s healed to be in consideration.
‘So we’re always optimistic. When there’s a target and someone is really hungry to achieve it, it’s amazing what the body can do.
‘He had a dislocated shoulder in the last game of the season before the Euros so that was quite a remarkable recovery in itself.
‘We’re just going to have to wait and see, and I know he is disappointed to miss this camp and fully focused on getting back for his club and hopefully for us.’