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Kalvin Phillips to be handed golden England opportunity despite Manchester City struggles

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Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is expected to be handed a golden opportunity under Gareth Southgate this week, according to reports.

Since completing a £42 million move from Leeds United last summer, Phillips has struggled to secure consistent game time with Pep Guardiola’s side, and has largely played second fiddle to mainstay option Rodrigo in the defensive midfield role.

External factors have played a part in those struggles however, with the 27 year-old having undergone an operation on his shoulder last autumn, throwing his availability for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar into question.

However, after cruising through the rehabilitation process, Phillips was expected to further challenge for a place in the Manchester City first-team starting line-up, but such struggles have deepened despite the congested fixture schedule.

Nevertheless, new details have emerged in the run-up to England’s upcoming international fixture this week, suggesting that Phillips could be granted a golden opportunity by his national team coach.

That is according to the information of the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath and Sam Wallace, who report that England manager Gareth Southgate is ready to hand Kalvin Phillips a start against Italy this week, despite his ongoing game-time struggles at Manchester City.

The England squad travel to Naples to take on Roberto Mancini’s Italy in the qualification process for the 2024 edition of the European Championships.

The City defensive midfielder is expected to start in midfield for his country, alongside Jude Bellingham – whom Pep Guardiola and his Etihad Stadium colleagues are pursuing ahead of the summer transfer window – and Declan Rice.

The Telegraph further report that Phil Foden is expected to miss out on a start for England on Thursday night, with his Manchester City colleague Jack Grealish set to get the nod and stand alongside Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane in a front-three.

Since joining Manchester City from Leeds United last summer, Kalvin Phillips has been limited to game time predominantly from the substitutes bench under manager Pep Guardiola, with Spanish international Rodri holding down the starting slot.

Across all competitions, Kalvin Phillips has registered just 13 appearances, with no goals or assists to his name, and just 344 minutes across those games – an average of 26.5 minutes per appearance.

There is still the possibility that Phillips could leave the club this summer, with West Ham and Leicester City among the Premier League clubs that admire the player, but for now those within Manchester City still believe more time with the club could be hugely beneficial to the England international.

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