SM
Man Utd vs. Newcastle: 9 hrs 19 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Pep Guardiola reveals Kalvin Phillips "arrived overweight" from World Cup

:Headline: Pep Guardiola reveals Kalvin Phillips 'arrived overweight' from World Cup:
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reveals that Kalvin Phillips "arrived overweight" from the World Cup and is currently not available for selection.
Sports Mole

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that England midfielder Kalvin Phillips returned "overweight" from the World Cup and is currently unavailable for selection.

The former Leeds United man has endured a difficult few months at the Etihad since leaving the Whites in the summer, making a mere four appearances across all tournaments.

Phillips's debut season with the Premier League champions has also been derailed by a shoulder injury, which he was forced to undergo surgery on in September, but he nevertheless made the England squad for the 2022 World Cup.

The 27-year-old featured as a substitute against Wales and Senegal in Qatar, providing an assist for Marcus Rashford against the former, but he was left on the bench for England's other three matches following his recovery.

Man City returned to competitive action with a 3-2 win over EFL Cup holders Liverpool in the fourth round on Thursday, but Phillips was nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad.

Speaking to the media on Friday ahead of the resumption of the Premier League, Guardiola admitted that Phillips was left out of the EFL Cup squad as his physical condition was not up to scratch.

"He's not injured. He arrived overweight. I don't know [why]. He didn't arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play," Guardiola told reporters.

When asked why that was the case given his fitness work with England and the nutritionists at his disposal, Guardiola added: ""No, no, no, no. Absolutely. That's why he cannot play. When he will be ready, he will play, because we need him, we need him a lot."

The City boss was pressed on the matter and was asked if Phillips's weight was disappointing for him, but he insisted that any conversations between him and the midfielder over the matter would remain private.

Phillips is yet to start a game for Man City since commanding a €49m (£43.4m) fee to leave Leeds in the summer, coming off the bench twice in the Champions League, once in the Premier League and once in the EFL Cup.

The Englishman has not played in the top flight since coming on for the final minute of his side's opening win over West Ham United, and he was able to feature for 40 minutes against Chelsea in the third round of the EFL Cup last month.

With Guardiola not prepared to select Phillips at this moment in time, the midfielder will miss a reunion with his former club Leeds, who play host to Man City on Wednesday at Elland Road.

Julian Alvarez will also be absent for that game following his role in Argentina's World Cup triumph, while Ruben Dias is nursing a hamstring injury and is not available either.

Man City prepare to travel to Elland Road sat five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, and that gap could temporarily increase to eight should the Gunners beat West Ham United on Boxing Day. body check tags ::

amp_article__502623 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2022-12-23 23:45:05:
html db last update - 2022-12-23 23:27:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Pep Guardiola

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
MC
Read Next:
Guardiola delivers Man City team news update ahead of Liverpool clash
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Pep Guardiola Kalvin Phillips Marcus Rashford Ruben Dias Julian Alvarez Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Guardiola delivers Man City team news update ahead of Liverpool clash
Man Utd star 'set to stay at Old Trafford after meeting with club bosses'
This weekend's permutations: Who can be crowned champions, win promotion or suffer relegation?
Manchester City planning Josko Gvardiol move?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle361761379572257
7Chelsea361691173611257
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd36166145256-454
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton361212125458-448
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Man Utd star 'set to stay at Old Trafford after meeting with club bosses'

NEW

1

MU

Euro 2024: Confirmed teams, favourites and everything you need to know about this summer's tournament in Germany

NEW

2

E2

Domenicali hints at end of hybrid engines in F1 by 2030

NEW

3

DH

Verstappen juggles real and virtual racing at Imola

NEW

4

VJ

Wednesday's Premier League predictions including Man Utd vs. Newcastle

5

WP

Wednesday's Ligue 1 predictions including Nice vs. PSG

6

WL

"The foundations are fragile" - Postecoglou seething as Spurs miss out on fourth

7

&F

Wednesday's Scottish Premiership predictions including Kilmarnock vs. Celtic

8

WS

Erik ten Hag disputes Wayne Rooney's Man Utd injury claim

9

ET

Real Madrid make La Liga history in five-goal win over Alaves

10

RM


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .