The Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips will miss England's World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra next month after his club confirmed he needs a knee operation after consultation with a specialist.

"It is a shame for him," said his manager Mark Hughes, who added that Wright-Phillips will miss the game against Bolton on Sunday too. "He has worked really hard to get fit but whenever he tries to play he gets a lot of swelling.

"Now he will have to see a specialist," added Hughes. "He is not going to be available at the weekend and he may well have a wash out of his knee in the close-season that would enable him to be fit for the start of pre-season training.

Wright-Phillips is the latest to join a growing England injury list after the Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing was also sidelined, requiring surgery to pin the foot he broke playing against Aston Villa last weekend. The goalkeepers David James, Ben Foster and Chris Kirkland will also be unavailable.

While it is bad news for Wright-Phillips, City could still have representation in the England squad, with Nedum Onuoha tipped to be handed his first senior call.

Onuoha has been an Under-21 regular but could gain his reward for an outstanding campaign, during which he has often outshone his central defensive partner and club captain Richard Dunne.

"Nedum has had a great season," said Hughes. "It has virtually been his first season free of injury but he has always been a young player with huge potential. If he was to be selected it would be a great reward for an excellent year. We all hope he does."