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Man City may get glimpse of future midfield if Kalvin Phillips starts for England vs Italy

If reports are to be believed, Kalvin Phillips will earn just his third start of the season tonight when England take on Italy in Naples.

Injury and form has restricted Phillips to just 344 minutes this season, at an average of 26 minutes per appearance for Manchester City. He is firmly behind Rodri in the pecking order, left to rely on scraps off the bench when a game is comfortably won.

When he has started, he has typically struggled, with the Carabao Cup defeat at Southampton a prime example. However, Phillips is still learning the ropes at City and has not been given a run of games yet to get to grips with Pep Guardiola's system. For England, his role is more natural and suited to his style of play.

ALSO READ: How Guardiola's starting XI could look after dream City summer transfer window

Included in England's World Cup squad despite rushing back from injury, Phillips looked far more comfortable for the Three Lions in Qatar than he has ever done at City. The Phillips-Declan Rice partnership helped England to the Euro 2020 two summers ago, and Gareth Southgate is reportedly considering a return to that base for the start of their next European Championship qualifying campaign.

What will be different this time, though, is the inclusion of World Cup breakout star Jude Bellingham, who used Qatar to place himself firmly into the heart of England's midfield.

Phillips wasn't fully fit then, so it could be significant if Southgate opts to recall him for the first game after the quarter-final heartbreak against France to provide a more solid base. Could this be the first sign of Southgate navigating away from his trusted back five in big games to add another defensive midfielder instead of a third centre-back?

Both Rice

Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk