Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that he will sit down with Kalvin Phillips this summer amid links with a move to Liverpool.
Guardiola has been speaking to The Telegraph amid major questions over whether Phillips will still be a City player next season.
Phillips only joined City last summer as he made a huge £45million move from Leeds United to the Etihad Stadium.
Phillips had proven himself in the Premier League and with England, emerging as a quality holding midfield player.
The expectations was that Rodri and Phillips would share midfield duties in front of Pep Guardiola’s defence this season.
However, Phillips has been a bit-part player for City and has only managed 103 minutes of Premier League action this season.
The 27-year-old hasn’t even started a league game for City and some have questioned his future.
Guardiola has now calmed the questions about Phillips by suggesting that he has no complaints about the ex-Leeds man.
Guardiola claims he just feels Rodri is more accustomed to what City need in that holding midfield role having spent much more time at the club than Phillips.
The City boss added that talks will be held with Phillips and the rest of the City squad to figure out their futures, as some players may be unhappy.
“I’m not complaining [about] Kalvin because when you don’t play much it’s difficult to take the rhythm,” said Guardiola. “John – we’re 7 years together; Rodri is [four] years together. I don’t have to tell them anything, just little details – a movement here or there. Kalvin, if maybe in the past he’d played more minutes he will get that but Rodri was in exceptional form. That [midfield] role is so, so important, that’s why the lack of minutes makes the circle more difficult. But he always pays attention, in the training sessions he is always open minded to get it.”
“But being so behind Arsenal [for a long period of the season], we cannot drop points. We haven’t had that situation of being eight, 10 points in front – in the past it happened. He [Phillips] can do it, but in that moment I always had the feeling Rodri knows exactly what to do in the role. He continues to do what he knows exactly he has to do.”
“In some things he needs to adapt a little bit more but what happens next season, I’m not concerned for one second now. We will see at the end of the season. We’ll sit with the players. Maybe they want more minutes or maybe they are not happy with the situation. But right now I’m not going to discuss anything.”
“Jack maybe didn’t play a lot of important games last season but he played a lot of minutes. It depends on the players. I try to be honest with the questions [asked] and my feelings. My feelings sometimes change. But at the end it belongs to the players, they have to convince themselves and the team and not because I say something it’s going to happen. They have to earn my confidence, all of them, not just Kalvin,” he added.
Kalvin Phillips allegedly wants to stay at Manchester City
TalkSPORT reported on Thursday that Phillips actually wants to stay and fight for his future at City.
West Ham United were mentioned as being interested but Phillips believes he can become a key man for Guardiola moving forward.
The Hammers are far from the only interested club though with Liverpool also mentioned of late.
The Daily Star reported in April that Liverpool want to sign Phillips this summer as they look to revamp their midfield.
Seeing a transfer between Arsenal and City would be a real surprise given their rivalry over recent years.
Yet if Liverpool are willing to give City their money back on Phillips, maybe Guardiola would be tempted to sell.
It’s a transfer we can’t really see happening but you just never know – and Jurgen Klopp may well be paying attention to Guardiola’s comments on the midfielder.
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