Pep Guardiola repeats Marcelo Bielsa Leeds United trick with Kalvin Phillips but Man City future still uncertain

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The former Leeds United star has endured a torrid past year but joined up with Man City for pre-season.

Pep Guardiola saw a much-improved Kalvin Phillips overnight after dropping him into central defence during a pre-season friendly against Barcelona - but the Manchester City manager remained non-committal on his player’s future with a summer departure still expected.

Phillips re-joined his City teammates for this summer’s trip to the United States, having endured a dismal six-month loan spell at West Ham United, and has featured regularly with several other senior options still on holiday. The midfielder is widely expected to leave Manchester again this summer, either on-loan or permanently, and a future under Guardiola is far from likely.

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But the 28-year-old appeared to benefit from a positional change overnight, partnering one-time Leeds transfer target Josko Gvardiol at centre-back and looking the most comfortable he has in several months. Despite missing in the penalty shootout, his performance caught the eye of Guardiola but what that means for the future is hard to tell and an exit is still likely.

“Kalvin I don’t know what is going to happen with his [transfer] situation,” Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News after the game. “He was really good for the problems we had. I know Kalvin when he gets the ball and can see all the pitch in front of him, he’s a really good player.

“When he has the small spaces there are more problems. That’s why with the problems we have he makes an incredible effort with his position. He was confident with the ball and helped us a lot. I’m really pleased with his performance.”

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Leeds fans know all too well how good Phillips can be when play is in front of him, with the midfielder often dropping deep under Marcelo Bielsa and at times playing centre-back as well. It was his form under the Argentinian that convinced Guardiola to sanction a £42m move to City back in 2022, but having to compete with Rodri - arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world - saw minutes almost non-existent.

A move into defence has led to some speculation on whether Phillips could excel in that new role. But, as is expected with a team who have won the last four Premier League titles, there is a wealth of quality across the board and Guardiola suggested the experiment will not be repeated once the squad is back to full strength.

“When we have all our central defenders, we have a lot of central defenders,” the City boss added. “That’s why it’s not his position, we will see. Now he’s helping us and it’s good for us.”

A return to West Ham is unlikely for Philips, given the nightmarish nature of his loan spell there, but the 2020/21 England Men’s Player of the Year still has plenty of suitors and is expected to stay in the Premier League. Everton have been regularly linked with interest, while Fulham are also thought to be keen after losing Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich.

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