England are currently preparing for the upcoming international break, with Southgate's talented–yet underperforming–squad set to face Italy and Germany over the next seven days in the UEFA Nations League. Nonetheless, the Three Lions boss will have one eye solely focused on the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
This is the last round of fixtures the European giants will play before heading to Qatar in November, hence its importance. Southgate, having overseen two losses and two draws so far in the UEFA Nations League, will want to get his players up to speed as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, FIFA's fifth-ranked nation in the world already has a concern weighing on the back of their mind regarding one key player. That man is none other than Kalvin Phillips, the Manchester City midfielder who continues to struggle with injuries.
The 26-year-old, who made the move from Leeds to the Etihad Stadium over the summer, has been suffering from a reoccurring shoulder issue which he reaggravated in the 3-3 friendly draw against Barcelona. As a result, he has been limited to only three appearances for the Cityzens, will all three being extremely short cameos off the bench.
But this begs the question: having featured in the 4-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Sevilla, which took place two weeks after that Camp Nou visit, what is the issue facing Phillips? Well, according to Pep Guardiola, the Englishman will undergo surgery to resolve this problem, which is not the greatest news given that Qatar 2022 kicks off in exactly two months.
"I don't know (how long he will be out) - I'm not a doctor - but in a good way he can arrive for the World Cup. The doctor said the only solution right now is to do what he has to do," Pep stated, as per Goal.
"Every time it's out (the shoulder), it's out and doctors (say that) when you have three or four times (where) it's out (with) the shoulder, the only solution is to have surgery."
While the Man City boss echoed optimism in regards to Phillips being available for the FIFA World Cup, recoveries don't always go according to plan. Nonetheless, Southgate will be keen on having the midfielder fit in time for Qatar given the player's importance to the Three Lions' set-up.
He was named the England men's player of the year for 2020-21 and played a crucial role in the nation's Euro 2020 campaign, helping the 1966 World Cup winners reach the final where they lost to Italy on penalties.
