Guardiola responds to Kalvin Phillips exit admission by reminding Man City flop he has ‘better’ players

Pep Guardiola has addressed the future of Kalvin Phillips at Manchester City in the same week that the midfielder admitted he may have to consider his status in January.

During the international break, Phillips confessed to Channel 4 that he might have to weigh up a departure from Man City at the next opportunity if his gametime has not improved. Indeed, while he remains a regular sight in England squads, his involvement at club level has been minimal since he left Leeds United last summer.

With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Phillips will not want to be spending too much time on the sidelines in the build-up. TEAMtalk understands Newcastle United have opened talks with his representatives as they seek cover for Sandro Tonali, who is at risk of a lengthy ban due to gambling allegations.

Now, Guardiola has opened up on what the future might hold for Phillips over the next few months. At a press conference, the Man City manager has explained when he might use the 27-year-old, but also why he is far down his pecking order.

Guardiola said: “The transfer window is over, now we are here together. When we need a game with transitions or games with something with chaos Kalvin is perfect.

“When there is something you need to do, there are still one or two players who can do it better. That’s the simple reason.

“He will be here until winter. After, I don’t know what will happen because nobody knows once the window is open.”

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Man City still have Phillips under contract until 2028 after they gave him a six-year deal when they bought him from Leeds. He has not started any Premier League matches this season, though, and only did so twice last term.

Phillips falling down Man City midfield hierarchy

Rodri is established as the main defensive midfielder in the Man City squad. The treble winners also strengthened their midfield further by adding Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and Matheus Nunes from Wolves over the summer.

Phillips previously played 234 times for his hometown club, Leeds. He was part of their squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2020.

Two years later, Man City invested up to £45m to sign him, but it has not quite paid off and they will have to be mindful of what kind of fee they will be able to receive themselves when the time comes to cash in.

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