Recruited for 50 million euros at Leeds a year and a half ago, Kalvin Phillips has never managed to establish himself as a starter at Manchester City. Left aside by Pep Guardiola, who often criticized him for his physical condition being far from optimal, the Englishman finally left the club for West Ham this winter in the form of a loan. In an interview given to The ObserverPhillips returned to Guardiola’s public criticism of him, explaining that he and his family took it badly.
“After the World Cup it was the hardest, when Pep said I was overweight. He was right to do it but it could have been different, lamented the 28-year-old midfielder. His words affected me greatly, they were a big blow to my confidence. They also hurt my family, my mother didn’t even want to watch the team’s games. If I hadn’t left this winter, I would have had no chance of going to the Euro at the end of the season.»
