Stevie Nicol has admitted that Kalvin Phillips would have been a ‘good option’ for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool when he was at Leeds United, but not anymore.
The Liverpool legend stated that there has to be ‘some problem’ as to why he isn’t getting game time at Manchester City after signing for the club last summer, as he told ESPN.
Last season, as Pep Guardiola guided the club to a historic Treble, Kalvin Phillips only played 593 minutes of football across all competitions and he is yet to play a single minute this term.
This isn’t good news for the Elland Road Academy product because, whilst he is playing for the best team in the world, his progression is going down the drain.
Despite that, it hasn’t stopped rumours that Liverpool would consider signing the 27-year-old this summer, as they look for defensive-midfield options.
But when Phillips’ name was put forward to Nicol, as a possibility for his former side, he was seemingly having none of it.
“There has to be a reason why he isn’t playing at Man City,” said Nicol. “Before Kalvin Phillips left Leeds, I would have suggested, had he still been at Leeds and played the way he did, then he would have seemed, on the face of it, a good option.
“But there has to be some problem. It’s not that he isn’t getting an opportunity, he isn’t even in the squad a lot, so there has to be some sort of problem there.”
Phillips hurting his career
Yes, you are working for perhaps the best coach ever and in one of the best footballing environments in the world, but is Phillips actually progressing?
If the £150k-a-week star (Spotrac) gets the regular minutes this season, then, by all means, stay put.
But if he doesn’t, then he is only harming his career, for the long-term, as well as his chances of playing for England at next summer’s Euros in Germany.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
