Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips stunned Graeme Souness by rejecting a deal to leave Etihad Stadium in the summer following interest from Liverpool in his transfer.
The Reds legend is staunch in his belief that Phillips should have explored a move away from Manchester City. Souness fears the 27-year-old now risks becoming an ‘invisible man’ under Pep Guardiola. He continues to feature sparingly only one year after signing for the Citizens.
Manchester City paid Leeds United £45m to sign Phillips on a six-year contract last July. The Elland Road hero was among the talismanic men at the Whites and was inspirational in their promotion into the Premier League. But injuries have plagued his career at Etihad Stadium.
Phillips continues to live on the fringes at Manchester City
Phillips only made Guardiola’s matchday team for 27 Premier League games last season and started in just two matches. He featured a further 10 times as a substitute but only amassed 290 minutes of action. The Leeds-born anchor’s plight has continued into this term, as well.
Guardiola has overlooked Phillips for a starting role in all four of Manchester City’s matches, despite being available. The Citizens boss further overlooked the 27-cap England ace in the Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup. Yet Phillips remains in Gareth Southgate’s side.
Souness fears for what future Phillips has under Guardiola
Southgate named Phillips in his England side to face Ukraine and Scotland in the September international break. But Souness fears for what future Phillips has at Manchester City as the midfielder is always relying on Rodri getting injured to earn Guardiola’s support to feature.
“Phillips remains a regular in the England squad but in terms of playing time at Manchester City, he is close to becoming the invisible man,” Souness wrote in the Daily Mail. “He’s 27 – an age at which he must be playing football.
“He must also realise he’s competing against the very best sitting midfielder in our league and, unless there’s a serious injury to Rodri, he’s looking at being a bit-part player. He has to be looking for a career away from City.”
Liverpool knew Phillips was not interested in any transfer
Liverpool could have offered Phillips an escape from his plight at Manchester City during the summer transfer window. But Ben Jacobs noted that the Reds knew he did not want to leave Etihad Stadium. So, Jurgen Klopp did not persist with his interest in taking Phillips to Anfield.
Phillips is desperate to make his move to Manchester City a success having only left Leeds in 2022. He also overlooked interest from Liverpool to secure a transfer to Guardiola’s side. So, despite Souness’ concerns and the Reds’ renewed interest, Phillips was not going anywhere.
The post ‘He must also realise’: Souness stunned Liverpool target rejected reported summer exit appeared first on HITC.
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