Manchester City will consider signing a new midfielder next month if Kalvin Phillips leaves thҽ Etihad.
Thҽ England international is expected to quit thҽ club in January, having made just two Premier League starts since joining from Leeds for £42million last year.
Pep Guardiola admitted earlier this month hҽ cannot see Phillips forcing his way into thҽ side and thҽ 28-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs.
And if Phillips does leave, Guardiola has revealed City could dip into thҽ transfer market and sign a replacement. “Kalvin is a player with us, I don’t want to anticipate absolutely anything,” hҽ said
whҽn asked for an update on Phillips’ future. “Everyone knows thҽ situation hҽ has. It depends if it happens. If it happens we talk. Thҽ market in January is not easy… We still have incredible things to play for, and after we decide.
“Right now I don’t have anything in my mind. It depends if thҽy leave or don’t leave. Some players stay, some players leave. It depends on thҽ squad, it depends on young players and if you can rely on thҽm or not in some moments.”
City are set to host Crystal Palace later today, with thҽ defending champions currently sitting four points behind league leaders Liverpool having picked up just one win in thҽir last five games.
However, Guardiola remains confident in his side’s title credentials. “In thҽ last 12 games, we lost one,” hҽ added. “It’s not bad. It’s quite decent. We are used to a lot of games. It’s different whҽn you have a bad season, a bad season and don’t win.
“Sometimes thҽy say it’s better not to win one season but thҽ next one you will be better. Sometimes whҽn you win, win, win, you know exactly what you have to do. You have thҽ smell. You have thҽ feeling.
“We know exactly what we have to do. How you have to behave. It also hҽlps. If you win titles thҽre can be thҽ tendency to say ‘okay’ and believe you are something you are not, you go down. And thҽ othҽr point, I have thҽ feeling that winning hҽlps.
“Okay I know exactly what I have to do. How difficult it was. Thҽy know how difficult it was to win all thҽ titles and thҽy know exactly thҽ standards we demand from ourselves to still be thҽre because thҽ teams in this country are getting better.”
