JACK GAUGHAN: Injury-plagued Kalvin Phillips has endured a NIGHTMARE start to his City career after his £42m move from Leeds… now he has a job on his hands to convince Pep he’s ready to play after returning from the World Cup overweight
There has been a fair amount of bad luck during the first six months of Kalvin Phillips’ career at Manchester City. The injuries started in August and have plagued him ever since.
Pep Guardiola banishing him from training for returning overweight is an altogether separate issue.
It started relatively brightly, with Phillips being eased into pre-season while on tour in America. On the pitch, he flitted between central midfield and centre half in a way that surely won Guardiola’s approval.
Kalvin Phillips has been banished from training after returning to Manchester City overweight
Purchased for £42million from Leeds, England’s Player of the Year in 2021 was aware he would initially be an understudy to Rodri, with City also confident in playing them as a pair or pushing Phillips to a No 8 position when required.
Everybody was on the same page. Phillips would have to prove he belonged in a team which had lifted another Premier League title weeks before.
He was affable in a dressing room packed with fellow England internationals, dutifully making hot drinks for the senior players as the new kid — a scene that unfolds in offices up and down the land.
Phillips was initially brought in as an understudy to Rodri with the hope of eventually playing alongside him
There was no great pressure from City to kickstart his spell at the club. The main men were fit and Phillips was afforded a cameo on the opening weekend at West Ham, not making the bench for the next victory against Bournemouth because of a ‘niggle’. And so it began.
City went to Barcelona for a charity friendly in mid-August and the Nou Camp appeared to be the root of the 27-year-old’s problems.
He suffered a dislocated shoulder, but City believed it could be managed carefully and were not worried. With rest, and lack of contact, it would heal. The priority was to have Phillips back for when the schedule became hectic.
The 27-year-old arrived at the Etihad from Leeds for £42million a few weeks after City lifted the title in 2021
He dipped his toe in with a couple of Champions League appearances, only for disaster to strike in training. Phillips dislocated the same shoulder. Surgery was the only option and it became a race to make Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.
He had played just 54 minutes of competitive football this season ahead of that announcement.
Fast forward a few weeks and Phillips — who knuckled down to reach Qatar, eventually playing just 40 minutes — arrived back at City ‘overweight’, in Guardiola’s words.
That is unlikely to constitute bad luck following a short break after international duty, when players were left to their own devices. Phillips was told not to train and did not warrant a place in the squad for Thursday’s cup win over Liverpool.
The ex-Leeds midfielder got only 40 minutes in Qatar despite working hard to be fit in time
Phillips has a job on his hands to convince Guardiola he is ready, with a return to Elland Road on the horizon next week. The last time City were there in April, Phillips was the only Leeds player to leave with credit from a 4-0 defeat. A physically robust display had the champions insistent he could add to their squad.
What has happened since resembles something of a nightmare and has only worsened with the events of the past few days. All Premier League players are weighed daily. Scales are at the doors as they walk in and in the canteens. There is no hiding place.
‘When he is ready, he will play, because we need him a lot,’ said Guardiola. Asked to expand, he added: ‘It’s a private conversation with Kalvin.’
Pep Guardiola has fallen out with players in the past although they are often forgotten quickly
Guardiola has previous for calling out overweight players. Samir Nasri was jettisoned almost as soon as the manager took over in 2016, sent away from the first-team group and managing just 15 minutes of action before a sale to Sevilla. Sergio Aguero tipped the scales once in that season and was dropped for a crucial league fixture.
The rules have remained in place for six and a half years. Each player has a target weight range, allowing some leeway, but Guardiola comes down hard on anybody who breaches the upper limit. Aguero’s was 80kg. He was 100g over, and the axe fell. Now Phillips has suffered a similar fate.
This might not be a major issue. A return to the City squad to face Leeds would not be a huge surprise. Personal issues between players and Guardiola are often quickly forgotten. Yet for Phillips, this is certainly an unwanted distraction.
Guardiola once dropped Sergio Aguero after he reported back 100g past his 80kg weight limit
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