Kalvin Phillips is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after a video of his recent performance went viral.
Returning to Manchester City from a frustrating loan spell at West Ham, Phillips appeared in a friendly match against AC Milan that saw City lose 3-2.
Phillips played in the second half of the game held in New York.
The footage shows him hesitating and appearing unsure with the ball, leading to a wave of online criticism.
Fans were quick to highlight his indecision on the field, with one West Ham supporter jokingly noting that Phillips seems to have reinvented himself post-loan.
The commentary from fans didn’t hold back.
One wrote, “In fairness, he never really had control of the ball in a West Ham shirt. He either lost it or misplaced his passes.”
Another user humorously asked, “Did he ever pass it?” while another compared his movement to “table football.”
The mockery also touched on Gareth Southgate’s comments about missing a player like Phillips at the Euros. Some users questioned how Southgate could leave Phillips out of the squad, with others agreeing that England missed his presence.
In the match against Milan, City initially took the lead with a goal from Erling Haaland.
However, Milan’s Lorenzo Colombo scored twice to put them ahead, and Marco Nasti’s 78th-minute goal secured the win for Milan despite a late equalizer from City’s James McAtee.
A Troubled Journey
Phillips, who once shone at Leeds and was a key player for England in Euro 2020, has faced a tough time since joining City for £42 million in 2022.
He’s only made two Premier League starts for City and faced criticism from Pep Guardiola for being “overweight” after the 2022 World Cup, though Guardiola later apologized for those remarks.
Struggles at West Ham
The loan move to West Ham didn’t go as planned either.
Phillips made a notable error on his debut and was sent off in a match against Nottingham Forest.
His performance led to harsh criticism from West Ham fans, and Phillips was even seen responding with a middle finger gesture.
England and Future Uncertainty
Phillips lost his place in the England squad but was mentioned by Southgate as a player the team missed during the Euros.
Southgate acknowledged the difficulty of replacing Phillips and expressed frustration with the team’s performance.
With his future at Manchester City uncertain, Phillips is now linked with a potential loan move to Everton.
Mine Crypto. Earn $GOATS while it is free! Click Here!!TDPel Media
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!