England and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips has suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury and could require an operation, the PA news agency understands.
The 26-year-old, who missed City’s Premier League victory at Wolves on Saturday, is now set to withdraw from the England squad for their upcoming Nations League matches against Italy and Germany.
The news is a major blow for Phillips and England manager Gareth Southgate just two months before the World Cup, but it is thought he could still have a chance of featuring in Qatar.
Phillips, who has 23 international caps and shone in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final last year, has endured a frustrating time since leaving Leeds for City in a £42million deal in the summer.
He has made just three substitute appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side totalling 14 minutes because of injury.
The most recent of those outings came in Wednesday’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund, offering hope that he was nearing fitness.
Phillips, who suffered two significant shoulder injuries during his time at Leeds, hurt his shoulder again during City’s friendly against Barcelona in August.
