David Moyes has told Kalvin Phillips what he now has to do to get back to his best.
Despite leaving Manchester City in the January transfer window to get his career back on track, Kalvin Phillips has continued to struggle since joining West Ham United on loan.
The 28-year-old has played just seven times for the Hammers but has yet to complete a full 90 minutes.
Phillips received yet another blow to his confidence on Sunday when he was hooked at half-time in the 2-2 draw with relegation strugglers Burnley.
However, David Moyes believes the defensive midfielder can still rediscover the form that led to him earning a move to Pep Guardiola’s team in the first place.
David Moyes on Kalvin Phillips
Speaking in a press conference on Thursday, Moyes said: “It wouldn’t have mattered who I took off at the weekend.
“Whatever we did at the start, I could have taken off any one of the players we’d started that poorly.
“Unfortunately Kalvin was one of the players we took off.
“He needs to get his head down and keep working. Things will turn for him, I’ve no doubt about that.”
Can Phillips get back to his best?
Moyes might be confident but it’s impossible to say if Phillips will ever reach the level he was playing at when at Leeds United.
At Elland Road, he was playing under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa who elevated his game to new heights.
Gareth Southgate did manage to utilise Phillips when he was at his best for England but, otherwise, no other manager has been able to get such good performances out of him.
With the latest Three Lions squad for the upcoming international friendlies being announced on Thursday, it would be a shock if Phillips’ name was on it.
One thing’s for sure, if Phillips is to ever find his form again, he needs to leave City as early as possible in the summer so he can play regular football immediately.
