Kyle Walker underwent surgery on a thigh injury sustained in Manchester City’s 6-3 derby win over Man United over a week ago. The procedure was said to be a success and the England right-back now faces a race against time to be fit for Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad in November.
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The English international pulled up with a thigh problem against United, with Pep Guardiola saying he would be out for many weeks. This comes as a blow to the former Tottenham man, who is in competition with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Alexander-Arnold for that starting berth on the right side of defence for England in the 2022 World Cup.
“I know how important the World Cup is for the players but honestly I don’t know right now,” said Guardiola.
Many fans expected him to be out without the need for surgery but were concerned when both the club and player put out statements regarding the success of the procedure. The statements failed to put an exact timeframe on recovery, casting doubt over whether Walker would be fully fit before England face Iran in their first World Cup game. A statement from Manchester City said, “a more detailed prognosis will be provided in due course”.
Gareth Southgate is expected to name his preliminary squad on October 20 which is 5 and a half weeks before FIFA’s deadline for the final submission of squad lists. Kyle Walker would thus have to get fit and he is known to be a fast healer from injuries in the past. While his chances of making the squad remain slim, the player himself is hopeful of a quick recovery.
At the club level, he has missed two victories against Copenhagen and Southampton as Pep Guardiola has dug into the club’s squad depth and versatility to deal with injury problems in his backline. The club’s decision to let him have surgery was based on the inability to manage the injury while he continues to play. While this is far from ideal, Pep Guardiola would hope that the decision is a good one considering how thick and fast the games are coming over the next month. He will miss his fullback but has able deputies in Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Joao Cancelo as they compete in the UCL, Premier League and Carabao cup between now and the World Cup break.
