Kalvin Phillips’ stock peaked when he was named England’s Player of the Year at the end of the 2020-21 season. He is now set to return to Sheffield United this summer. Following that accolade, he maintained impressive form with Leeds United, which led to a £45 million move to Manchester City the following summer. Unfortunately, his time at the club never gained momentum.
Before the 2022 World Cup, he made just a single Premier League appearance and only appeared as a substitute twice for England in the tournament.
Upon returning in December, he found himself excluded from City’s squad for their first match against Liverpool. Guardiola criticized his fitness, claiming he was “overweight” and not in shape to train or compete.
He struggled to bounce back from these comments.
The midfielder sought to rejuvenate his career but faced challenges during stints at West Ham and Ipswich over the next two seasons.
Last September, he had a brief return for City, playing the final seven minutes in a Carabao Cup win against Huddersfield, but this moment proved to be short-lived.
Phillips’ latest effort to rekindle his career is his return to Sheffield United this summer.