"It’s been very difficult" - Manchester City star opens up about life under Pep Guardiola
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips has explained that he has enjoyed his life under Pep Guardiola so far despite struggling to establish himself as a regular for the Cityzens.
Phillips swapped his childhood club Leeds United for Premier League giants Manchester City last year. The Cityzens shelled out an initial sum of £42 million to acquire him, bringing him in as a replacement for Fernandinho.
However, the transfer has not gone according to plan for the England international so far. He has amassed just 56 minutes of Premier League playing time this season, with fitness issues hindering his progress further.
Phillips has made just two competitive starts for Guardiola's side and both have come in domestic cup competitions. His lack of involvement has led many rival fans to label him the worst signing of the season.
“Antony’s playing in the Europa League doing Beyblade spins for £100m!” 🤣
Kalvin Phillips is the flop of the season he cost City £42M and has only played 345 minutes in all competitions this season.
Yet Southgate still calls him up to the national team and starts him despite using Sancho’s lack of minutes as a reason why he originally dropped him. twitter.com/BetVictor/stat…
The Englishman has now admitted that things have been far from perfect for him in Manchester. He is aware that he has to continue working hard to stake a claim to be a regular starter for Guardiola.
Phillips, though, made it clear that joining Manchester City is still one of the best decisions he has made despite his struggles so far. Speaking on the Premier League's YouTube channel, he said [via The Boot Room]:
“It’s been very difficult to be honest. I knew as soon as I came into the team that I wasn’t going to be playing week-in week-out. I was going to have to build my way in and even now I’m still at that stage of building myself into the team. I’ve enjoyed it a lot and I’ve learnt a lot as well from the players and the manager, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made."
Phillips has made 13 appearances across competitions for the Cityzens, clocking 344 minutes of playing time. He is yet to register a goal or assist.
Manchester City still in the mix to win treble
Manchester City have perhaps not been at their best this season as they are eight points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. However, they are still in the mix to win three trophies this term.
The Cityzens can reduce the gap with the north London giants to five points if they win their game in hand. Meanwhile, they have qualified for the semifinals of the FA Cup, where they will face Sheffield United on April 22.
Guardiola's side will also lock horns with Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals next month. It remains to be seen if Phillips will play a part in those games.