'Disaster' - Man City's Kalvin Phillips has seven games to save his career

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips joined Sheffield United on loan for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window

After arriving at Manchester City in 2022 with the world at his feet, Kalvin Phillips has just seven matches to save his career. The midfielder arrived that summer to ease the workload on Rodri. Pep Guardiola deemed the former Leeds United man not of the required standard.

Following his return from the World Cup that same year, Guardiola declared Phillips to be 'overweight' and while the City boss apologised for that comment, the midfielder has not forced his way into City's plans. Since the start of 2024, the 30-year-old has completed loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich in the Premier League.

Neither were successful and having spent the first half of this season watching from the stands, Championship club Sheffield United offered Phillips a lifeline. Chris Wilder's side signed the midfielder on deadline day and he was immediately thrust into the team for the following week's clash at Middlesbrough.

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Phillips went on to start the next Championship game against Portsmouth before earning another leading role in the Blades' most important fixture of the season at home to Sheffield Wednesday. With the midfielder's new club cruising to a victory over the Owls, that would send their fierce rivals down, Phillips was sent off for a foul on Svante Ingelsson.

The Yorkshireman left the field in tears and apologised to the fans for the tackle. And while the Blades did hold on for the three points, Phillips has not featured since. While serving his three-match ban, the midfielder discovered he had sustained an injury and has been absent since his suspension expired.

City's loanee could return to action on Good Friday when Sheffield United welcome Swansea to Bramall Lane but The Shoreham Journal's writer Tom Blow believes the remainder of the season is make or break for the midfielder.

"Everyone had this idea in their head of how good Kalvin Phillips can be," he told MEN Sport. "It felt like this could be the move that reignites his career and kind of pushes Sheffield United up the table too. There was scepticism around the fact that he hasn't really done anything for quite a few years now and I think that's kind of shown in how the loan's gone.

"It's not gone to plan. It has been a bit of a disaster really."

Blow believes the red card against Wednesday and how it jeopardised the result means Phillips will have a mountain to climb to win supporters round again. But, the final seven games of the campaign are seen as pivotal for the remainder of his career.

"United do have options in central midfield," Blow added. "It was always going to be one of those where if you lose your place, you might not get it back.

"I think he has to regain his spot now and play because if it doesn't work out, that will be three unsuccessful loan spells and then where does he go from there? Going into the Championship was already a decent step down for him. Does he then drop into League One or move abroad?

"You do feel like he needs to show something in these last seven games of the season. Chris Wilder might want to give him another chance and there is a Leeds contingent at Sheffield United - Patrick Bamford, Jamie Shackleton - who could convince the club to re-sign him. But he needs to prove himself if he wants to be given a new contract here."

Phillips will have two years remaining on his City contract after this season. Any hope of recouping significant money for the midfielder has gone, leaving only a cut-price exit or another loan.

It really is now or never for the midfielder.