Gareth Southgate set to call up injured Manchester City and Chelsea duo to England squad

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Gareth Southgate is set to call up injured Manchester City and Chelsea duo Kyle Walker and Reece James to his 55-man England squad.

On Friday, Southgate is set to name a provisional 55-man England squad ahead of the World Cup. The squad will be whittled down to just 26 players before the tournament, meaning 29 Englishmen will be left disappointed.

It’s unclear as to why Southgate has chosen to name so many players in his provisional squad – possibly to give players a little motivation to perform over the next month, with Southgate confirming there are plenty of players in his plans.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker in  Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020 | Football News | Sky Sports

Now, according to the Daily Mail, two players who are expected to be called up are Manchester City’s Walker and Chelsea’s James, despite both currently being injured.

Walker is recovering from a groin injury and James is out with a serious knee ligament issue.

Neither player are likely to feature a lot for their respective clubs between now and the World Cup, so even if they are able to recover, match fitness is going to be a problem.

Chelsea and Manchester City are likely to be unhappy if Southgate rushes them back in order to play for England, but there’s no doubt the aforementioned players will be desperate to represent their country at the World Cup.

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