With the Qatar World Cup just around the corner, we take a look at the injury concerns facing Gareth Southgate's England team ahead of the tournament getting underway.

This article was originally published on 6 November 2022

Injured Players	Position	Injury	Status
Reece James	RB/RWB	Knee	Out
Dominic Calvert-Lewin	ST	Hamstring	Highly Doubtful
Ben Chilwell	LB/LWB	Hamstring	Out
Kalvin Phillips	CM	Shoulder	In line for return
Kyle Walker	RB/RCB	Groin	Doubtful

Reece James

Reece James' World Cup dreams are over, with reports England manager Gareth Southgate has informed the Chelsea defender he will not be included in his final 26-man squad for the Qatar Finals on the back of the knee injury he sustained last month.

Suffering the injury on Champions League duty against Italian giants Milan last month, James was given an initial eight-week timescale to return to fitness. The 22-year-old has not been able to recover sufficiently enough to put himself in contention for World Cup selection, however, and will now be forced to cheer on his England teammates from home during the tournament.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the latest England hopeful to suffer an injury scare on the eve of the World Cup Finals in Qatar.

After recovering from a knee injury in recent weeks to return to Premier League action for the Toffees, the 25-year-old was forced to be replaced in the 61st minute of Everton's 2-0 home defeat to Leicester City at the weekend after feeling a 'sensation in his hamstring'.

The extent of the injury is currently unknown, with Everton boss Frank Lampard stating the striker will go for scans later this week.

With England manager Gareth Southgate set to name his final England squad for the World Cup on Thursday, this fresh injury problem could not have arrived at a worse time for Calvert-Lewin.

Ben Chilwell

Chelsea have confirmed Ben Chilwell will be ruled out of the Qatar World Cup for England after the wing-back picked up a hamstring injury in a recent Champions League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb.

This comes as an agonising blow for a player who made no appearances for England at last summer's Euros having only just recovered from a ruptured cruciate ligament injury.

With Chilwell missing out, the door is now open for the likes of Tottenham's Ryan Sessegnon or Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell to replace him in Gareth Southgate's final World Cup squad.

Kalvin Phillips

England boss Gareth Southgate looks set to be handed a boost ahead of the Qatar World Cup with the news Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is winning his battle to return to fitness.

Having been out of of competitive action since undergoing shoulder surgery in September, City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Phillips is now ready for a place in the team's matchday squads.

This has given Phillips, a star of England's Euros campaign last year, fresh hope of getting the nod from Gareth Southgate to retain his place in the international side ahead of the upcoming World Cup Finals.

Kyle Walker

Phillips' City teammate Kyle Walker also appears to be winning his battle to return to fitness for the World Cup after groin surgery.

Suffering the injury in Manchester City's 6-3 crushing of rivals Manchester United at the beginning of October, Walker's place at the Qatar Finals was cast into major doubt.

His surgery and initial recovery period seem to have gone well, however, with the defender publicly voicing his confidence in making a return for the tournament.

With no predicted timescale for his return announced, Walker still faces a race against time to put himself in a position to be selected in Gareth Southgate's final World Cup squad. 

Man City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Walker is engaging in partial training sessions with the rest of the squad as he steps up his recovery.

The England boss may view the 32-year-old defender, regularly deployed on the right of a back three for his country, as such an indispensable player that he decides to call him up even if he is yet to reach full fitness, with a view to the City star becoming available once the tournament is underway.

Gareth Southgate will name his final 26-man England squad for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday November 10.