Micah Richards has said that he is surprised Kalvin Phillips didn’t turn out to be a successful signing for Manchester City.
Earlier today, after weeks of speculation, it was announced that the midfielder had left the Manchester club to join West Ham United on loan until the end of the season.
Having only seen Phillips make 31 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side since his arrival from Leeds United in 2022, one pundit and former City player has shared his thoughts on the Englishman.
Richards surprised by City difficulties
Speaking in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Richards had this to say about Phillips and what he initially thought of him as a City signing.
He said: “I thought he’d be an outstanding signing for Man City, not just because he can play centre-midfield but he slipped into that centre-back role at Leeds and played out from the back and was so good on the ball and his passing is excellent.”
Looking back over his final season at Leeds, the midfielder featured in 23 matches across the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, playing in the centre-back role on three occasions.
This highlights the versatility he has, which Richards mentioned, but wasn’t given the chance to show at City.
Out of the 31 games he appeared in for City since his arrival from Elland Road, Phillips only found himself in the starting XI on six occasions.
With Guardiola saying back in December that he struggled to visualise the Englishman in his ideal City team, this was seemingly the nail in the coffin that led to him making a move away from the Etihad Stadium.
Now that he has arrived at the London Stadium, the ideal scenario for Phillips would be if he can play on a regular basis and secure his spot in England’s squad for the upcoming European Championship.
