Phillips revealed his ordeal with Guardiola at Man City for gaining weight

In the summer of 2022 Manchester City paid nearly $55 million to Leeds United to buy Kalvin Phillips. The holding midfielder had been a key part of the team in the Championship and then also in the first season in the Premier League, which had earned him a place in the England squad. Pep Guardiola was looking for a player who could replace (or complement) Rodri and considered him to be the one.

More news about the Premier League:

Coach Ten Hag's brilliant strategy that led to Man Utd vs Aston Villa win

But things did not go as expected. In his first semester he had some physical problems that prevented him from being part of the team and then he left for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Upon his return things got worse and Kalvin was never able to gain the coach's trust. That is why this year he decided to go to West Ham United with the aim of having more participation and ensure his place in Euro 2024.

Now that he is no longer with the Citizens, Phillips revealed details of his experience there and shocked everyone when he explained one of the reasons why Guardiola left him out of the team. In an interview with The Guardian he began by saying: "After the World Cup was probably the toughest, when Pep came out and said I was overweight. He was right to do so but there are different ways to go about it".

He added: “Pep was frustrated I didn’t come back into training early but it was just a miscommunication between the people at City and myself. Pep wanted me to come in the day after we finished the tournament and be involved in friendlies and stuff. I never got that information because if he asked me to be there, I would have. It was just a misunderstanding, he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my target weight".

More news about the Premier League:

Liverpool beat Burnley in Premier League and Klopp ruined Pep Guardiola's day

That affected him

Kalvin Phillips claimed that this conflict with Pep Guardiola was instrumental in his poor performances at Manchester City, which contributed to his departure from the club: “It took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City. My family were not happy about it, either. Especially Mum”. Now he has the chance to show his best side again and convince manager Gareth Southgate that he is ready to play for England at Euro 2024 in Germany.