Kyle Walker was a surprise selection for England’s World Cup squad as Gareth Southgate acknowledged he could be injured for at least two of the three group games.
The Three Lions’ opener against Iran on November 21 has likely come to soon for the 32-year-old, but Southgate said he chose Walker because he should return before the knockouts.
The plan is for Walker to play a part in England qualifying for the latter stages, but is Southgate really changing a winning team? And won’t the right-back be short of match fitness after more than a month on the sidelines?
Reece James missed out on making the squad as he wasn’t expected to return from injury until after the group stages, so Southgate thought it wouldn’t make sense for him to take up a spot and miss 43% of the available games.
Walker has made eight appearances at club level this season, last featuring in early October. He didn’t return in time to play in City’s last Premier League game before the World Cup and hasn’t returned to full training, so it is a gamble that Southgate will live and die by.
The 32-year-old is a talented and versatile defender, but it remains to be seen how much he’ll play in the World Cup if England do well without him.
In other news, stats show Sergio Gomez has endured a tough start to life at Man City
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