Steven Gerrard has lavished praise on to Kalvin Phillips, who has struggled during his spell at Manchester City so far.
As relayed by Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool legend had his say on the £42 million (The Athletic) man, who scored his first goal for England in their 7-0 mauling of North Macedonia.
Instead of writing Kalvin Phillips off, which has become quite common since he joined Manchester City, Steven Gerrard lauded him.
Steven Gerrard raves about Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips
Branded as a ‘classy defensive midfielder’ by City’s official website, the former Leeds United anchor’s time at the Etihad Stadium has been a bit of a mess up until now, due to injuries and a lack of trust from Pep Guardiola.
So much so that it was claimed that the Sky Blues were open to selling the Englishman, despite having been at the club for just a single season.
However, Steven Gerrard has praised Kalvin Phillips after his landmark goal for England, while saying that he could still thrive in a Manchester City shirt.
“I think that will give him the motivation as well to come back and have a good pre-season. He will have had a frustrating season, but we all know he has high-class quality.”
“We all know he will be desperate to go to the Euros next year and he will do that by having a fantastic season with Manchester City.”
It would be premature to write Phillips off so early
As has been the case with a number of new signings at Manchester City, Kalvin Phillips could also right his wrongs in his second campaign at the club, which is a possibility that Steven Gerrard has clearly not discounted.
The biggest examples of this phenomenon are Joao Cancelo and Jack Grealish, who went from severe underperformers to some of the first names on the team sheet.
Once Phillips gets to full fitness and understands Guardiola’s ways, he could prove to be a cracking understudy to Rodri.
