3 days ago
28
Kalvin Phillips faces four months in exile at Manchester City after an Achilles injury prevented the midfielder from finding a new club during the summer transfer window.It had been expected that the 29-year-old would end his disappointing City career during the summer window, but he failed to recover from surgery in time and hasn't yet returned to full training.There had been Premier League interest in Phillips earlier in the summer, including from former club Leeds United, but ultimately, a lack of fitness meant no move was forthcoming for the England international.Despite staying at the Etihad, Phillips is unlikely to feature for City before the January transfer window opens. Although the windows remain open in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, a move to either of those leagues isn't currently on the cards.Phillips has been out of favour at City since a nightmare first 18 months after a £42million move from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. He hasn't played for the club since December 2023 and doesn't currently have a shirt number after Tijjani Reijnders was given the No. 4 following his summer move from AC Milan.Phillips joined West Ham on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season but found it difficult to make an impact. He joined Ipswich Town on loan last season but played just 22 games as he struggled for form and fitness.There is space in City's Premier League and Champions League squads for Phillips to be registered, but given his fitness issues and his status within the squad, that is unlikely.That might mean waiting until the January transfer window opens and another chance for Phillips to end his City career. He signed a six-year deal after arriving from Leeds, so he still has three years left on his contract.---Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
ManCityMEN
English (US) ·