England regularly sent physios to Manchester City in the weeks before the World Cup to assist with expediting Kyle Walker’s return to full fitness.
Walker and team-mate Kalvin Phillips both suffered serious injuries and underwent surgery in the months running up to Qatar and were considered major doubts to make the tournament.
City and the FA worked in conjunction to make sure the two players would become available as quickly as possible, with Walker’s recovery from groin surgery considered particularly fast.
England sent regular physios to check on the fitness of both Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips
The FA medical team were welcomed into City’s training ground to monitor the progress of the pair before Gareth Southgate named his 26-man squad, with similar practices used for players at other clubs across the country.