‘Tell him to pack his belongings and leave my club immediately, because I DO NOT TOLERATE LAZY players…I can’t be paying high salary on Him and not benefiting from Him’: Manchester City owner owner has ordered Pep Guardiola that they must sell £30 million Star as soon as possible or risk losing their jobs
Fabio Capello’s recent comments on Kalvin Phillips have brought to light his belief that the 27-year-old midfielder’s performance has taken a step backward since his switch from Leeds United to Manchester City. These remarks have surfaced amid ongoing speculation about Phillips potentially making a move to Juventus, a club that holds a special place in Capello’s heart. While reports have indicated that Juventus is keen on acquiring Phillips as their top priority, Capello has made it clear that he would rather see Juventus pursue Domenico Berardi over Phillips or Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. This preference strongly suggests Capello’s conviction that Phillips has not maintained the same level of performance he once exhibited.
Capello’s statement underscores the fact that during his time at Leeds United, Phillips was widely regarded as a complete midfielder. However, concerns have arisen about his career progression since joining Manchester City, where he has only managed to secure two starting positions in the Premier League.
This limited playing time has given rise to doubts about Phillips’ development, even though he has had the privilege of being coached by Pep Guardiola over the past 18 months.
In a rather surprising turn of events, Phillips was not given a starting role even when Guardiola chose to rest Rodri, whom he often praises in relation to Phillips. Instead, Guardiola decided to field Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes in midfield during Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League victory over BSC Young Boys.
Notably, both Kovacic and Nunes were signed in the summer from Chelsea and Wolves, respectively.
In our assessment, this decision could be seen as a clear message to Phillips that, as things currently stand, his time at Manchester City may be drawing to a close, with his potential departure becoming increasingly likely.
