England’s $51M Star Midfielder Doubtful For FIFA World Cup – Here’s Why

English midfielder Kalvin Phillips will have to race against time to be fit enough for the FIFA World Cup.

Manchester City’s Phillips will undergo shoulder surgery, boss Pep Guardiola confirmed. The 26-year-old has managed three substitute appearances for Manchester City since his $51 million summer move from Leeds. This means the defensive midfielder has spent less than 20 minutes on the field for his new club this season.

In a recent interview, Guardiola admitted that he had no choice but to send Phillip for surgery. His recurring shoulder injury has affected the player’s availability in the ongoing campaign.

When reporters asked how long Phillips will be out of action, Guardiola replied, “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. Now it will be not long but a little bit longer.”

“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,” added Guardiola.

After hurting his shoulder in a mid-season friendly against Barcelona last month, Phillips spent the majority of time on the bench, having made just a minute’s appearance in the Premier League.

Earlier this week, Gareth Southgate named Phillips in the England national squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany, the last international games before the Qatar World Cup in November.

Phillips has now officially pulled out of the English squad and could miss out on the FIFA event as well, handing Southgate a massive setback going into the tournament. Phillips had played a key role in England’s Euro 2020 outing, playing in the central midfield alongside Declan Rice.

England boss Southgate is scheduled to name his World Cup squad on Oct. 20, a month before the tournament kicks off. The Three Lions are scheduled to play their first game against Iran on Nov. 21.