“We treat him like…” – Pep Guardiola offers insight into Kalvin Phillips’ Manchester City situation | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips’ Manchester City situation in terms of selections within the line-up or not lie solely with Pep Guardiola, the 54-year-old has insisted this week.

The Englishman’s career at the Etihad Stadium has long been under the microscope since his £45 million move from Leeds United in 2022, having arrived as one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders, but going on to struggle to earn the trust of Guardiola.

Since moving to the club, Phillips has been restricted to severely limited minutes and opportunities, in additions to successive loan spells at West Ham United and Ipswich Town, further casting doubt on his long-term prospects in Manchester.

An Achilles injury towards the end of last season followed by rehabilitation ruled him out for the opening months of the ongoing season, and largely prevented his hopes of securing a permanent exit from Manchester City.

Having recently returned to training, breaking into City’s current midfield group remains a daunting task for Kalvin Phillips, who did make a brief return to action in the third round of the Carabao Cup away at Huddersfield Town.

Guardiola has continued to praise Kalvin Phillips’ professionalism, and speaking ahead of City’s trip to face Swansea in the Carabao Cup fourth round this week, the Catalan coach has insisted that while there was a chance the 29-year-old could travel with the squad to South Wales, he will not feature in his starting line-up.

“He’s a player for the team, for the squad, he was loaned in the last seasons, and now is coming back,” Guardiola told reporters.

The Manchester City manager continued, “He’s trained with us, we treat him like absolutely another player, and after the decision to be selected or not belongs to me.”

On whether he is personally happy with the way Kalvin Phillips is behaving and training for the first-team squad at present, Guardiola responded, “He’s always an unbelievable guy. It’s a joy to have him in the locker room.”

Pep Guardiola’s measured tone suggests that while Kalvin Phillips remains a valued squad member off the pitch, his path to regular football at Manchester City is still unclear and perhaps unlikely.

The coming weeks could therefore prove decisive, but largely in the sense of attracting potential suitors for the upcoming January transfer window, with domestic cup fixtures representing his best chance to stake a claim for increasing match sharpness.

The likes of Everton, Newcastle, and several European clubs have historically monitored Phillips’ situation at the Etihad Stadium, with another short-term loan increasingly viewed as a realistic option over the winter weeks.