Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is “very hopeful” of being included in England’s World Cup squad after recovering from injury.
Phillips, 26, has not played for City since undergoing shoulder surgery in September.
He is set to be on the bench for the Carabao Cup clash against Chelsea on Wednesday and could also feature against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Those are the last two opportunities for Phillips to play competitively before the World Cup, which starts on November 20.
“The shoulder’s perfectly fine now,” Phillips told the BBC.
“I have gone through a seven-week process of recovering as fast as I possibly can for the World Cup. Everything is going great.
“I’ve obviously not done it for quite a long time now but I’ve kept my fitness up and I’d like to think I could play 90 minutes.”
Asked whether he expects to make the England World Cup squad, Phillips said: “I’m not too sure yet. I’m very hopeful that I can be involved. We will have to wait and see.”
Phillips joined Manchester City in a £45m deal from Leeds in the summer but only made three substitute appearances before suffering an injury.
His last outing was against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on September 14.
City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Phillips will be in the squad against Chelsea.
“Pep has been great and he has spoken to me quite a lot. It is part of football and he understands that,” Phillips said.
“After my first full contact session the other day he said he would hopefully try and get me minutes against Chelsea.”
Gareth Southgate is set to announce England’s World Cup squad on November 10.
Phillips says he has spoken to Southgate about his progression.
“[Following surgery] I spoke to Gareth and told him about my situation. I said I understood if he didn’t select me but he reassured me that ‘as long as you’re fit enough and you prove you’re progressing well, there’s always a chance you will be called up’.
“I’ve done everything in my power to be as fit as possible and hopefully I will be involved.”
City full-back Kyle Walker is also a doubt for the World Cup due to a groin injury.
Speaking at the weekend, Guardiola said: “I spoke with Kyle and he feels good too but his surgery was later than Kalvin, that’s why I don’t know.”
