Why Kalvin Phillips is 'very hopeful' he will make the England World Cup squad

Forum 1 year ago

Why Kalvin Phillips is 'very hopeful' he will make the England World Cup squad

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips has revealed that he has reason to feel 'very hopeful' about making England's World Cup squad.

The 26-year-old has struggled with injuries plenty in the last year and fears were raised that he could miss this winter's tournament in Qatar after undergoing shoulder surgery back in September.

Gareth Southgate is set to name his final 26-player squad later this week, while Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Phillips will return to Man City's matchday squad for their Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, Phillips insisted he is now injury-free and is feeling good about his chances of making the cut.

"The shoulder's perfectly fine now," Phillips said. "I have gone through a seven-week process of recovering as fast as I possibly can for the World Cup. Everything is going great.

"I've obviously not done it for quite a long time now but I've kept my fitness up and I'd like to think I could play 90 minutes."

When asked if he thinks he will make Southgate's final squad, Phillips replied: "I'm not too sure yet. I'm very hopeful that I can be involved. We will have to wait and see."

Phillips became an England regular following his promotion to the Premier League with Leeds United in 2020, eventually starting the Euro 2020 final.

He completed a £45m move to Man City this summer after helping Leeds secure safety on the final day of the 2021/22 season.