Gareth Southgate named his 28-man squad for England’s upcoming internationals against Italy and Germany, including five players from the Manchester City side – John Stones, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.
Gareth Southgate has named a 28-man squad for our #ThreeLions' upcoming games against Italy and Germany:
— England (@England) September 15, 2022
Phillips and Grealish may consider themselves fortunate to make the cut, however, as they’re not having a good domestic campaign – Phillips has been short of playing time while Grealish has been short of form.
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Stones’ selection came at a good time as he’s just returned from injury and played in City’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, but Walker’s might be controversial as he’s still on the recovery trail – the 32-year-old hasn’t played football since August.
Phillips has made three appearances since making the switch from Leeds United, amassing a paltry 13 minutes of football. Every outing in a City shirt has come from the bench, so his selection in the England side is down to his past performances under Southgate.
Grealish has made five appearances this season, failing to score or make an assist. He underperformed against Dortmund on Wednesday and was hooked by Pep Guardiola as a result, so he’ll be desperate to silence his critics by performing for the Three Lions.
The 27-year-old hasn’t been a good signing for City, but he’s managed to impress for his country, so Southgate will be hoping that trend continues.
In other news, Man City player has successfully replaced 28 y/o despite nearly leaving in July
Your article appears to be saying that Philips has not been in the side because he has not been picked based on performance. However, you forget to mention that he had some sort of injury for most of the games in which he did not play.