Kalvin Phillips, a star for Man City and England, is reportedly set for an “extended absence” after Pep Guardiola “axed” him for their victory over Liverpool.
The midfielder joined Man City in the summer from Leeds United for about £42 million, but he hasn’t been able to have a big impact for the Premier League champions.
He hasn’t played much for City this season because of a shoulder injury.
He was able to recover from his injury in time to represent England at the World Cup, but Gareth Southgate only occasionally used him. Instead, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, and Jordan Henderson were preferred by the Three Lions manager.
Now that he is back with Man City, Phillips will be looking to help them win the Premier League once more.
In the Carabao Cup round of 16, City defeated Liverpool 3-2 on Thursday night, but he was not a part of that victory.
This, according to Guardiola, was caused by Phillips “not being in the right condition to train or play,” he said following the game.
Phillips is now reportedly “set for an extended absence,” according to Football Insider.
According to the report, when asked about Phillips following the victory over Liverpool, Guardiola “fumed.”
Despite being fully fit, Phillips was “axed” for the cup match and is “not expected to feature for City in their Premier League match against Leeds next Wednesday.”
The manager’s remarks about Phillips, continue, “strongly suggest he faces a major battle to win back Guardiola’s favor for the second half of the season.”
Man City and Liverpool engaged in a thrilling game without Phillips. Within the first ten minutes, Erling Haaland broke the tie and quickly put himself on the scoresheet.
However, after 20 minutes, Fabio Carvalho brought Liverpool even. Man City regained the lead thanks to a goal from Riyad Mahrez, but the visitors quickly tied it up again when Mo Salah scored.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, City was by far the superior team, and Nathan Ake’s header advanced them to the quarterfinals.
Despite having a difficult World Cup with Belgium, Kevin De Bruyne had a strong performance against Liverpool, contributing two assists.
After the game, Guardiola praised the “outstanding” midfielder in great detail.
“The game against Girona was brilliant, and today he was outstanding,” Guardiola said. “The first training session he was back I wasn’t here but I was told it was brilliant.”
To play at his best, he simply needs to find the right fire inside of himself, to be a little bit, I would say grumpy or upset. That is his internal energy.
“When this occurs, a player is more than just a player; he runs, assists, and scores goals.
“I understand that it can be challenging to maintain this consistency every three days, but today he is feeling motivated and ready to fight.
“When this occurs, Mr. Kevin de Bruyne is responsible. What can I say, he has given this club everything for eight years; he is an absolute legend and will go down in club history as one of the greatest players ever.
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