Gareth Southgate has showered Kalvin Phillips with praise for his impressive showing for England in their 3-1 win against Scotland.
Speaking to the press (via Football Daily) after the contest, the Three Lions boss gave his verdict on the Manchester City outcast’s display.
England manager Gareth Southgate was happy with what he saw from Kalvin Phillips against Scotland on Tuesday night.
Gareth Southgate raves about ‘brilliant’ Kalvin Phillips after England beat Scotland
Branded as ‘intelligent’ by Pep Guardiola, the 27-year-old has faced plenty of stick since signing for Manchester City due to his lack of playing time.
The general consensus seems to be that the former Leeds United talisman does not merit a spot in the national team’s squad due to how infrequently he has played at club level since last season.
However, Gareth Southgate continues to place faith in Kalvin Phillips, as he lauded his performance for England against Scotland.
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“It was a nice balance to the team with Kalvin and Dec [Declan Rice] doing a brilliant job of mopping up, destroying things and keeping the ball ticking over a while”, he said.
Kalvin Phillips must now impress Pep Guardiola to rescue his Manchester City career
Pep Guardiola would likely have been content with how Kalvin Phillips performed in an England shirt against Scotland.
But so far, it seems like Guardiola is yet to have been fully convinced about the treble-winner’s quality as he even tested out Mateo Kovacic in his defensive midfield role in pre-season.
With Rodri expected to start a majority of games, Phillips has quite a challenge on his hands to get a substantial number of minutes this season as well.
However, when handed the rare opportunity to start for either club or country, Kalvin Phillips must wow Pep Guardiola.
If not, one can foresee him getting sold by the Sky Blues in the summer of 2024.