Declan Rice has now made an interesting claim about Manchester City No.4 Kalvin Phillips.
The England international shared the comments with talkSPORT.
So, what did Declan Rice say about Kalvin Phillips? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Arsenal No.41 admitted that the £165,000-a-week Manchester City misfit is one of the best professionals he has ever come across.
Rice said: “He’s one of the best professionals I’ve ever seen, if I’m honest with you. I’ve seen players who don’t play and throw their toys out of the pram completely and with Kal, every time he comes back here he pops on a shirt and puts in 110%.
“As a person as well, he’s an all round top guy and he brings that onto the pitch. It’s obviously difficult when you’re not playing as a footballer and I know he wants to be playing more, for sure, but mentally he hasn’t broken.”
Phillips has only made two Premier League starts for Manchester City following his £45m move from Leeds United in July 2022.
Pep Guardiola is believed to have concerns over the 27-year-old’s ability to play quick passes in tight areas, especially when receiving the ball from Ederson, which is why Rodri plays in the No.6 role.
Kalvin Phillips could leave Manchester City
A story from ESPN claims that Phillips is now considering his future at the Etihad Stadium, with the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham linked to his services in January.
The Leeds United academy graduate also recently said “I want minutes” when asked about his situation under Guardiola.
Whatever is going on inside the Yorkshireman’s head right now in regards to his lack of action, he certainly deserves credit for not becoming a disruptive figure at Manchester City or within the England setup.
Hopefully, Phillips and Manchester City can come to an arrangement which suits all parties in January.
