Gareth Southgate already knows his 26-man England squad, there's no Reece James

England manager Gareth Southgate already knows his 26-man squad for this month's World Cup after checking up on players recovering from injury.

Southgate will reveal his squad on Thursday prior to the tournament kicking off on November 20.

Chelsea full-back Reece James has a knee issue, while Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are long-term fitness concerns.

Per the Daily Mail, all three players would've made the squad in normal circumstances.

James is currently the player on the longest road to recovery and he'll likely be the one to miss out.

He was likely to be a starter for England so his omission will come as a big blow.

Southgate has a wealth of talent at his disposal on the right flank but James was starting to nail down a starting spot.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter recently confirmed James had starting running on grass again.

"I just think it’s how he responds (James being available for World Cup)," he explained.

"We don’t want to rush anything, I don’t want to put any timescales on it. That’s for him, doctors and physios."

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Walker and Phillips have told Southgate they'll be available despite a lack of recent match action.

Phillips, who joined City from Leeds United in the summer, underwent shoulder surgery in September. He could feature in Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea, although it'll have no bearing on Southgate's decision.

The 26-year-old is second-choice in City's midfield behind Rodri, playing just 14 minutes all campaign.

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Walker sustained a groin injury in October's 6-3 derby win over Manchester United. City medics are said to be amazed at the 32-year-old's recovery, as the injury was set to keep him out until the new year.

England are in Group B at the World Cup with their first game against Iran on November 21.

After that they'll face the USMNT on November 25 before taking on Wales in their final group game on November 29.

Who do you think should go to the World Cup? Let us know in the comments.

Topics: England, Gareth Southgate, Reece James

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a social editor for SPORTbible after moving from the writing team. Nearly scored past Stormzy at Old Trafford once.

@DanMarland_