Man City star Kalvin Phillips undergoes surgery on an injured shoulder, putting World Cup dreams with England in jeopardy

Kalvin Phillips has no choice but to have his shoulder problem operated on – but believes his midfielder can be World Cup-ready, according to PEP GUARDIOLA.

The £45m midfielder was not in the 20-man squad for Saturday’s 3-0 win at Wolves.

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And his club boss has confirmed there is no way the former Leeds man can face the England squad this week.

The latest setback will come as a blow to Gareth Southgate as one of his most important men has barely played football this season.

Guardiola revealed the shoulder has popped out “three or four times” and that going under the knife now appears to be the only option.

The City boss said: “It’s a problem with the shoulder again and he may need surgery in the next few days.

“He won’t go with England this time, no way.

“I’m not a doctor, but in a good way he can of course be at the World Cup.

“The doctor says the only solution right now is to do what we have to do.

“Any time he’s out because of it and the doctors say if it’s out three or four times, the only solution is surgery.”

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Phillips has seen just 14 minutes of action since joining City – spread over three appearances.

And he’s now in a race to be ready for the start of the tournament in just two months.

With just three weeks to go before the end of the international break, Southgate will name his squad for Qatar.

When asked about how frustrating it had been for Phillips to start, Guardiola said: “Definitely – for us too.

“We need him because Rodri can’t play all the games. Kalvin came to fight for that position and sometimes you need two defensive midfielders to be more defensive.

“But I think it’s going to take a little bit longer because I think he’s going to need surgery.”