Kalvin Phillips set to return to Man City early in bid to reignite career after West Ham nightmare and Euro 2024 snub
KALVIN PHILLIPS plans an early return to pre-season training at Manchester City in a bid to get his career back on track.
The midfielder has endured a nightmare couple of years since a £45million move to the Etihad from Leeds.
It cost him his place in the England squad — Phillips managed only 15 minutes of football from the start of April.
So he has indicated to his club he wants to be back at the City Football Academy a couple of weeks before boss Pep Guardiola and the other stars not on international duty this summer.
Fellow Three Lions outcast Jack Grealish posted on Instagram over the weekend he is spending his break getting in shape — and Phillips will do the same.
He started just two Prem matches — with four more in other competitions — during his first 18 months at City.
The 28-year-old then accepted a loan move to West Ham in a desperate attempt to keep his Euro 2024 hopes alive.
However that proved to be a disaster too, as he started just three league games — and got a red card in one of those at Nottingham Forest.
In early May, the temporary arrangement was cut short due to injury — meaning he returned to his parent club for treatment.
His hopes of forcing his way into the reckoning at City while Guardiola remains in charge appear slim — so another loan is the most likely outcome.
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But City embark on a pre-season tour of the USA on July 19 and if nothing is agreed before then, Phillips should be part of the travelling party.
And he will have been encouraged by Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate saying last week that nobody has been able to take on the role Phillips plays for his country.
Phillips boasts 31 England caps and knows he needs to be playing regularly if he is to force his way back into the international reckoning.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has joined Declan Rice at the base of England’s midfield in Germany.
But Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher is expected to take over for the final group game against Slovenia.
Man City's five key moments this season
A look at the five key moments in Man City's title winning campaign...
- Luton 1 – 2 Man City: City bounce back from a run of four games without a win to kick-start their unbeaten run.
- Newcastle 2 – 3 Man City: Kevin De Bruyne returns from injury to come off the bench and inspire a late turnaround against the Magpies.
- Man City 3 – 1 Man Utd: Phil Foden puts on a masterclass as City lay down a marker on their title ambitions and breeze past their local rivals in the process.
- Man City 0 – 0 Arsenal: A goalless draw that, although disappointing, meant City were still keeping pace with the teams around them and could maintain their spot in the title race. A loss could have put Arsenal out of sight of the Cityzens.
- Man City 4 – 1 Aston Villa: Following consecutive draws against title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, City bounce back with a thumping of Unai Emery’s high-flying Villa to keep the pressure on the Gunners.