Ex-Man City midfielder Hamann sends warning to Phillips over World Cup spot | OneFootball

Former Manchester City midfielder Didi Hamann has warned Kalvin Phillips could miss out on a spot in England's World Cup squad.

The £42m signing from Leeds United made his competitive debut for City in Sunday's win over West Ham, replacing Rodri as a second-half substitute.

"England has got a lot of options in midfield, but then again Phillips and Declan Rice played ever so well in the Euros last year, and it could harm his chances of going to and playing at the World Cup," Hamman told safebettingsites.com.

"We've probably got about 25 games until the World Cup now with the Champions League starting again soon, and I would like to think Phillips is going to play at least half or start half of the games, but whether he does, I'm not too sure.

"He's a defensive-minded player, and I think in Rodri, they've got the best defensive midfielder in the league alongside Fabinho, so I'm not too sure where he's going to play.

"When you play with Rodri and a back four with brilliant players, Guardiola likes to have two forward-thinking players next to him in Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva or Ilkay Gundogan.

"I'm not sure where he'll fit in. Rodri is a very smart player, very clever and is hardly injured, so at the moment, I can't see how Phillips will fit into that team."