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.
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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 and Bellingham have been linked with the Blues as their need for a new midfielder or two becomes more apparent. Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract in the summer and appears no closer to signing an extension, while Bernardo Silva has again refused to rule out an exit at the end of the season. Kevin De Bruyne may not move on, although he is 31 and will need a long-term replacement in the coming years.
Bellingham appears to be a logical solution - although logic has never guaranteed a transfer, and the rest of Europe will be lining up to try and sign the Borussia Dortmund man. West Ham have made it clear that Rice would cost at least £100m.
Still, it will benefit City if Phillips can perform for England if given the chance - and if he does impress it will boost their current season prospects and maybe their future chances as they will hope he can follow the likes of Jack Grealish, Joao Cancelo and many others in taking a year to fully adapt to Etihad life.
Of all the City players who could play for their countries this week, Phillips would be the most beneficial. If he could start striking up a partnership with Bellingham as well as he has done with Rice, it could be a glimpse into what their 'dream' future midfield could look like.
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