Kalvin Phillips has been restored to the England starting XI for the trip to face Germany in the second of their four Nations League matches this month. He was among the substitutes in Saturday evening’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Hungary and didn’t have enough time to make an impact from the bench.
Gareth Southgate opted to bring the Leeds star onto the pitch with little more than 10 minutes left in Budapest in place of centre-back Conor Coady. Despite that change swapping a defender for a midfielder, the Three Lions boss was widely criticised for not being more ambitious given the fact his side were 1-0 down at the time.
With Germany expected to pose more of an attacking threat than Hungary, Phillips is back in the starting line-up alongside his usual midfield partner Declan Rice. It will not only bring stability in the middle of the park for England but also a level of international experience that was lacking with the highly-promising Jude Bellingham in the team on Saturday.
READ MORE: Germany v England TV and live stream info as Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips eyes start
In the process of facing the old enemy, Phillips will earn his 21 st cap for his country. It increases the likelihood of seeing the Leeds midfielder maintain his starting place for the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year as Southgate clearly views the 26-year-old a key part of his team, despite his injury-disrupted season.
He played every game at Euro 2020 and played a vital role in helping the Three Lions to the final. Along with supporters up and down the country, Phillips will be hoping for a repeat of that trust from his international manager in Qatar and will be desperate to go one better and win a World Cup with England.
Full England team vs Germany: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Stones; Trippier, Rice, Phillips , Saka; Mount, Kane, Sterling
