Phillips was an important piece of the puzzle as England managed to make it all the way to the final of the European Championship before losing to eventual winners Italy on penalties.
Gareth Southgate’s side may have to make do without Phillips in Qatar after the midfielder dubbed the Yorkshire Pirlo suffered a shoulder injury during a friendly in Barcelona.
Now requiring surgery, the 26-year-old defensive midfielder is now in a race to be fit for the World Cup in Qatar this November.
McCoist believes that if Phillips does not get a seat on the plane to Qatar, it would be a massive loss for the Three Lions, calling the former Leeds United man a stalwart in England’s midfield.
He also pointed out that though moving to Pep Guardiola’s side was a great choice, it was also tough as one of the Citizens’ unsung heroes and best players in Rodri occupies his preferred position.
“A massive loss for England that would be. Him and Declan Rice in particular, I think they’ve been terrific”, McCoist said on talkSPORT.
“Real stalwarts in that England team. The thing about Kalvin Phillips is I thought it was a great move for him.
“But at the same time, it’s a tough move for him because one of City’s best players plays in his position and that’s one that doesn’t get spoken about much and that’s Rodri.
“We obviously speak about [Erling] Haaland, we speak about [Jack] Grealish, we speak about [Phil] Foden and we speak about [Kevin] De Bruyne.”
McCoist further noted that Rodri’s form has kept Phillips out of Guardiola’s line-up so far and put the England international in his current position where he has to undergo surgery to be fit in time for the World Cup.
“But I’ve got to say Rodri in that position has been absolutely terrific and the fact of the matter is that Kalvin Phillips is now going for an operation would tell you that is his only chance of making it to the World Cup.”
