Gareth Southgate has some tough decisions to make as he narrows down his England squad ahead of the World Cup, with Kalvin Phillips' role one of the key questions to answer.
Southgate is set to name his provisional squad for the tournament on Wednesday 19th October, which is 33 days before kick-off in Qatar. With the final 26-man squad needing to be submitted to FIFA by Sunday 13th November, there is still time to earn (and lose) those seats on the plane, with some huge talking points across the board during the international break.
As for Manchester City, three players — Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker — look certain of being picked unless they suffer an injury before the tournament. As for midfielder Phillips, he has endured a frustrating start to life at the Etihad since signing from Leeds in the summer. The 26-year-old has made three substitute appearances for Pep Guardiola's side so far, but is still out of action after suffering a shoulder injury during a friendly against Barcelona.
