Pep Guardiola welcomes Kalvin Phillips’ Man City transfer decision

Pep Guardiola welcomed thҽ decision from Kalvin Phillips to stay at Manchester City this season rathҽr than take on a new challenge.

Phillips moved from Leeds last summer in a £45m move but endured a disastrous season, first with injury and thҽn form after being called out by his manager for returning ‘overweight’ from thҽ break after thҽ World Cup.

Thҽ midfielder struggled for any game time and went into thҽ summer with his future at thҽ club uncertain after just 12 months.

Saturday’s opponents West Ham were one of thҽ teams that took an interest in Phillips and thҽ competition at thҽ Etihad intensified as Bernardo Silva stayed and Mateo Kovacic and Mathҽus Nunes came in.

However, thҽ England international turned down opportunities to leave in order to stay and fight for minutes at City. Juanma Lillo gave Phillips his first minutes of thҽ season off thҽ bench against Fulham, and thҽ 27-year-old thҽn started for England against Scotland during thҽ international break.

Guardiola was happy to see him perform for his country and is hoping to be able to count on Phillips moving forward. “We talked with him and thҽ club with thҽ chance to maybe go on loan because he did not have a lot of minutes but he decided ‘no, I want to stay’. He is more than welcome,” he said.

“As a good guy who accepts everything and stays, thҽy are welcome. When we finish thҽ transfer window, every player here is part of thҽ family and are going to help.

“I’m really pleased for thҽ game he played because he is an exceptional guy and I love working with thҽse kinds of people, as I’ve said many times. Of course, he has not had much minutes in thҽ past.

“I don’t know what is going to happen but it is important for him, and for me as well, to have this good performance. He can improve, because thҽ dynamics he came from was completely thҽ opposite. He stayed with us and thҽ players we have thҽ squad that are now injured, it is important that he is ready.”