Guardiola noticed huge Phillips mistake days after signing £45m Man City flop

26 January 2024 , 09:54

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Pep Guardiola was not convinced by Kalvin Phillips from the off (Image: Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola had major worries about Kalvin Phillips at Manchester City just days after he signed him.

The midfielder made a £45million move to the Etihad Stadium from Leeds 18 months ago. He has endured a rotten spell with the reigning Premier League champions.

Since then, he has made just 31 appearances for Man City - only six of which have been starts. Guardiola is now offloading him to West Ham in a loan deal until the end of the campaign.

However, it appears that the Man City boss had serious reservations about Phillips from the off. According to The Athletic, Guardiola and his staff noticed that he seemed to struggle with the demands of the holding midfielder role in the side.

The coaching team believed that youngster and academy graduate Romeo Lavia was a more natural fit for the position. He was sold to Southampton in the knowledge that first-team exposure at City would have been limited - while the Belgian eventually sealed a switch to Chelsea after just one season with the Saints.

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While there are concerns that Phillips was not totally suited to Man City, Guardiola has not totally ruled out the prospect of him returning to the Etihad Stadium. Asked if the former Leeds star has a future at the club, he replied: “Yes, why not?

“He has to play to make me realise how wrong I was. For the guys who behave well I don’t care, but these kind of persons who help us in every training session and in the minutes he played, with that I always feel what could I do more, so hopefully he can play regularly. And of course. Why not?”

Kalvin Phillips has joined West Ham on loan until the end of the season (Getty Images)

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However, when asked to explain why he allowed Phillips to leave, Guardiola reiterated his belief that he didn’t fully fit into his system. He added: “In that position, we need another thing that sometimes myself struggle a little bit to see him.

“That’s all. The quality is there. That’s why he’s in the national team. Look what he’s done at Leeds, the quality is there. I regret more myself than Kalvin.

“With others no, but with him, and [considering] how he behaved, it’s my responsibility. I have to be here to help the players develop and be better players and suit what we want to do and I was not able to do it.”

Phillips could be in line for his West Ham debut next week. The Hammers take on Bournemouth at the London Stadium next Thursday as they aim to secure their first win this calendar year.

Daniel Orme