Roy Keane now urges Kalvin Phillips to start doing one thing to improve, after Manchester City nightmare

Redaction Simon Brett with Tom Procter
Published on 2024-02-11 17:15:00

Manchester City sent Kalvin Phillips to West Ham United on loan in January, and former player Roy Keane believes that the midfielder needs to pick up the pace on the field.

Phillips was expected to leave Etihad last month as he struggled to get minutes under Pep Guardiola. Despite competing for playing time and not being able to play when Rodri was suspended, Phillips was given the opportunity to join West Ham towards the end of the January transfer window.

However, his performance has not been up to par, with errors in his first two appearances against Bournemouth and Manchester United. It’s clear that he is lacking match sharpness and confidence, something Phillips himself has admitted to in a new interview, attributing it to Guardiola’s management.

Roy Keane insists that the 27-year-old needs to start playing quicker to improve his game. Phillips was named to start on the bench for West Ham United’s game against Arsenal after being a substitute against Manchester United the previous weekend.

Regarding Phillips’ performance, Keane stated, “Phillips needs to look at himself. Why is he taking so long to get up to speed? Of course, he’s not been playing regularly for Man City. In his first cameo roles, he’s made a few mistakes and unfortunately, he’s been punished for them.

“If he does get on the pitch today, he has to speed things up a bit. To me, he slows the game down too much. I’m surprised it’s taken him that long to get up to speed; it’s just about reading the game and doing it simply. He’s obviously not in the rhythm.”

It’s clear that Phillips is finding it difficult to adjust to his performance level due to his lack of confidence, however, the move may be advantageous for him and he only requires a few good games to regain momentum.

Consequently, there are high hopes that the move will be successful for Phillips, particularly for his prospects ahead of Euro 2024.

Read Original article on Manchester City News