Phillips reveals World Cup freak gym scare

Phillips has only played 14 minutes of competitive football this season

England midfielder Kalvin Phillips won his race to be fit for the World Cup after surgery - but almost ended his chances in a freak gym accident.

Phillips, 26, displayed puncture wounds in his foot as he spoke to reporters.

"If it wasn't a 5kg plate, if it had been heavier, I think it would have been a lot worse," he said.

Addressing the media in Qatar ahead of England's first game against Iran on Monday, he explained: "It's quite a good story to be honest.

"Before the City game against Brentford [last weekend], being the professional that I am, I went to the gym before the match and was just doing loads of Achilles work on the leg press.

"I'd gone to pull a weight off the rack and there must have been one stuck behind it, and I pulled it off and it landed straight on my foot and cut it all.

"But it's not too bad - it's the blisters from training that hurt more. It isn't too bad, but I stood for about 10 seconds and thought: 'Oh my god, what was that?'"

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Phillips had only played 14 minutes of competitive football this season before being named in the 26-man squad after undergoing surgery for a shoulder problem.

"My shoulder is fine now. I had the operation about seven and a half weeks ago," he said.

"It was a 12-week recovery, but I did a lot more than I should have done. I wanted to recover quicker so I could go to the World Cup and I'm here now."

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