David Seaman has suggested that Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips isn’t up to speed in terms of match fitness to be in the current England squad.
Having played just six minutes of action for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, the 27-year-old was included in the latest England squad for their upcoming matches against Ukraine and Scotland.
This has since led to one pundit and former City player having his say about the player and his inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad.
Seaman suggests Phillips isn’t match fit to play for England
Speaking in a recent edition of Seaman Says, Seaman had this to say about Phillips.
He said: “He’s not up to match speed. This is what happens with them and then there’ll be little bits where they get found out but then you know that they’ve been in them positions before so they know how to deal with it.”
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The Englishman made his first appearance of the season during City’s previous Premier League game where he came on as a late substitute in the 5-1 win over Fulham.
Given the lack of regular game time he’s had this season in the lead-up to this international break, it’s easy to see why Seaman thinks Phillips may not be as up to speed as some of the other players in the England squad.
However, with Southgate saying in a recent press conference that Phillips is the only player, apart from Declan Rice, that can play effectively in a defensive-midfield position, this shows why the City figure was included in the squad despite his lack of game time, which the England manager admitted is not ideal.
Looking ahead to the upcoming England matches, it’ll be interesting to see if Phillips gets any minutes under his belt and if he can then go on to become more prominent in City’s side throughout the remainder of the season.