Danny Mills has claimed that it’s a ‘devastating shame’ that one-time Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips has picked up a shoulder injury at the wrong time.
The Manchester City midfielder requires surgery and he faces a race to be fit for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Mills thinks it will be ‘very doubtful’ he makes it, as he told Sky Sports News.
The former right-back also made reference to how this shoulder issue for Phillips stems from when he was at Leeds and now it has followed him at the Etihad.
For large parts of last season, the hard-hitting midfielder was on the sidelines for the Whites, as they survived relegation under Jesse Marsch by the skin of their teeth.
Phillips then secured a transfer to Manchester City, and since that move, he has only played 13 minutes of football.
It isn’t looking good for the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’, who was outstanding at Euro 2020, alongside Declan Rice, as Mills shared his thoughts on his situation.
“It’s a devastating shame for him,” said Mills. “He was magnificent at the Euros. He has been exceptional for England. He suffered that injury at Leeds really. He hasn’t seemed to have come back from that and recovered.
“You are looking at any sort of operation, then it has to be a minimum of six weeks. Even though it’s just a shoulder, there is all the rotation, movement and physical contact that you have to take in training sessions.
“I think it’s very unlikely that he’s going to be fit for that. If it went absolutely perfectly, then you would have to say the healing process would take six weeks, he then has to get match fit and it’s not like he’s got a huge bank of games he can fall back on.
“He didn’t play an awful lot for Leeds last season. He has hardly played since his move to Manchester City, so unfortunately for him and England, it’s going to be very, very doubtful.”
BELLINGHAM TO START FOR ENGLAND?
What is one man’s loss is another man’s gain and Jude Bellingham might just be the one to benefit from Phillips’ troubles.
The 19-year-old has been outstanding in the colours of Borussia Dortmund this season and he has taken his game up a few more levels.
Whilst Rice hasn’t started the season in the strongest of fashions, he has enough credit in the bank to start against Italy on Friday night and at the 2022 World Cup.
And there is no reason why Gareth Southgate shouldn’t put Bellingham alongside the West Ham midfielder because it needs to be done.
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