Signed from Leeds United for £42 million during the summer transfer window, Kalvin Phillips joined Manchester City with the reputation of being one of the finest defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
However, the 26-year-old’s start to life at the Etihad Stadium has been interrupted by injuries.
The England international initially suffered a minor hamstring strain, after which he underwent a blow to his arm and shoulder in a recent friendly against Barcelona.
Kalvin Phillips had subsequently requested to be substituted after starting the contest against the Catalan giants, with Rodri coming in to replace him.
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As a result, the midfielder was excluded from the matchday squads in Manchester City’s recent contests against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
Considering the player’s battles with fitness, he has struggled to firmly push Rodri for first-team minutes - who has started every league game so far.
While Kalvin Phillips was expected to be the Spanish international’s understudy from day one, one of the key reasons why the Sky Blues brought him in is to provide stiff competition to the latter.
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Despite a slow start for the Leeds-born star, Pep Guardiola has given a positive verdict on what he expects from him in the remainder of the 2022/23 season.
“Yes of course, for him and for me - and for us (it is frustrating)," he opened.
“Last season, he struggled a bit with injuries at Leeds - the shoulder.
"Hopefully, it is the last injury for him, and he can start training and getting minutes in the games."
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The Manchester City manager continued, "When we took Rodri off (against Nottingham Forest) that would have been a great chance for Kalvin to get some minutes and get used to our patterns.
"But the season is long. And he will help us.”
The good news for the Manchester City boss is that Phillips returned to first-team training on Monday morning, ahead of the side’s Champions League opener against Sevilla.
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As the 2020/21 England Player of the Year gets a taste of Europe’s elite competition in some capacity, he will finally get a chance to learn the Pep Guardiola way if he gets on the pitch.
Ultimately, it is key for the Premier League champions that Kalvin Phillips is finally fit and firing, as they will require such a key squad player to be available in their quest to compete on all four fronts this term.
Topics: Kalvin Phillips, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Srinivas Sadhanand