Mueez Ajao
– Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips says he is “very hopeful” of being involved in England’s World Cup squad after recovering from injury.
– Phillips, 26, had shoulder surgery in September which put his place in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad in doubt.
– Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Phillips will be on the bench against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
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– “The shoulder’s perfectly fine now,” Phillips told BBC Radio 5 Live.
– Speaking on the Monday Night Club, he added: “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.”
– On whether he will make England’s World Cup squad, Phillips said: “I’m not too sure yet. I’m very hopeful that I can be involved. We will have to wait and see.”
– Phillips has been restricted to three substitute appearances since his £45m summer move from Leeds United, the last of which came against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on 14 September.
– While he is set to be on the bench as City host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup – the club’s penultimate match before the World Cup – Guardiola said he did not know if Phillips would feature.
– A home match against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday would represent his final opportunity to play competitive minutes before England’s opener in Qatar against Iran on 21 November.
– “Pep has been great and he has spoken to me quite a lot. It is part of football and he understands that,” Phillips said.
– “After my first full contact session the other day he said he would hopefully try and get me minutes against Chelsea.
– “[Following surgery] I spoke to Gareth and told him about my situation. I said I understood if he didn’t select me but he reassured me that ‘as long as you’re fit enough and you prove you’re progressing well, there’s always a chance you will be called up’,” Phillips added.
– “I’ve done everything in my power to be as fit as possible and hopefully I will be involved.”
