Pep Guardiola called out Kalvin Phillips for being ‘overweight’ after his return from the World Cup and further stated that it is the main reason he was left out of the League Cup clash against Liverpool.
Kalvin Phillips was signed by Manchester City from Leeds United in a £45m deal in the summer and recently punched his ticket into Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad for the World Cup.
However, the former Leeds ace was sporadically used by England boss Southgate during the tournament in Qatar after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Phillips was on the bench for England’s 6-2 demolition of Iran in his side’s Group B opener and was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw against the USA.
Guardiola’s men returned to action in the aftermath of the World Cup and secured a sensational 3-2 win over Liverpool in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup on Thursday.
Phillips was left out of the squad for the win at the Etihad, but Guardiola has revealed why the England midfielder was missing in action for City.
According to Guardiola, Phillips was not match fit for the Liverpool clash and returned to the defending Premier League champions “overweight”. He insisted that Phillips, who has made four appearances for City this season, was not injured.
When asked about Phillips, Guardiola told the press: “He’s not injured. He arrived overweight.
“I don’t know [why]. He didn’t arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play.”
When pressed on Phillips’ fitness despite being called up for international duty with England, Guardiola added: “No, no, no. Absolutely. That’s why he cannot play.
“When he will be ready, he will play, because we need him, we need him a lot.”
Manchester City will resume their Premier League campaign on Wednesday for their clash with Phillips’ former side at Elland Road.
Watch the full press conference via the video below.
But why did Pep Guardiola call out Kalvin Phillips for being ‘overweight’ after the World Cup?
According to Daily Mail Northern football reporter – Jack Gaughan; Each Manchester City player has a target weight range, allowing some leeway, but Pep Guardiola comes down hard on anybody who breaches the upper limit. Sergio Aguero’s was 80kg, became 100g over, and was dropped from the squad.
The ESPN FC panel discuss Pep Guardiola’s comments about Kalvin Phillips coming back to Manchester City overweight.
