Kalvin Phillips has admitted he disagreed with Pep Guardiola’s comments about his weight last season.
Phillips joined Manchester City from Leeds in a £42m deal last summer, but started just four games across the treble-winning season.
Shoulder injuries were partly to blame for his lack of minutes, but in December, City boss Guardiola said that Phillips returned from the World Cup overweight.
Phillips has his say
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on Tuesday, Phillips opened up about his manager’s comments.
“To be honest, it was a little hard to take [the criticism], just because of how much it was oversized and how many people started talking about it,” the 27-year-old said.
“I know the manager made his comments but I respected them.
“I, for me, wasn’t overweight, but obviously the manager saw it in a different way. I took it, did my best to try and get as fit as possible and I was on the bench for the Leeds game straight after that. I was fit for every game since then.
“It was just one of those things where it was a misunderstanding between me and some staff members. You will see a lot more of it in the documentary and how I got into it all.”
Phillips shows the right attitude
Phillips was obviously hurt by Guardiola’s comments and the fallout that followed, but he showed the right attitude in knuckling down and doing his bit for the squad.
Some players might have thrown their toys out of the pram following Pep’s public criticism, but Phillips showed he has the right mentality to succeed at City.
This season he’ll be hoping to play more of a prominent role for the treble winners.
A documentary about Phillips’ difficult first season at City – Kalvin Phillips: The Road to City – is released on Amazon Prime on July 19.
