A harsh warning has been issued to Kalvin Phillips, a midfield player for Manchester City who is on loan, by England manager Gareth Southgate.
The 28-year-old’s chances of being chosen for this summer’s European Championship in Germany are in doubt after he was left out of the England team for the forthcoming international friendlies at Wembley Stadium against both Brazil and Belgium.
In an effort to increase his chances of getting chosen for the competition, Phillips left Manchester City for West Ham United in January. However, since relocating to the London Stadium, he has not fared well.
For the balance of the current season, the midfield player went to West Ham, where David Moyes has given him six matches in both the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League.
Philips was sent off during the Hammers’ most recent loss to Nottingham Forest last month, and he was again sent off against Burnley this past weekend after just 45 minutes of play.
Despite making few appearances for Manchester City, the Leeds-born midfielder was chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Over the course of an 18-month span, Pep Guardiola gave the Englishman just six starts.
Although the midfielder scored in the UEFA Champions League in December when the Sky Blues defeated Red Star Belgrade, Phillips didn’t make his true City debut in the Premier League until a 1-0 victory against Chelsea in May of last year.
Phillips’ future beyond this season is subject to serious doubt and the 28-year-olds England career is also in jeopardy, after Three Lions boss Southgate issued a damning message to the midfielder.
“Unfortunately, his form just hasn’t been good enough,” admitted Southgate.
“I’ve spoken to him, he knows that. I said to him towards the end of last year, if he didn’t play at City, it was going to be a problem.
“I think he knows exactly what we think of him. A good version of him is an important player for us. We don’t have many players of that profile.”
Manchester City trio John Stones, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden were all called-up for the upcoming March friendlies, meanwhile Jack Grealish wasn’t selected due to ongoing injury problems.
Grealish suffered a recurrence of a recent groin injury against Luton Town in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round, and a timeframe for his return to action is currently unknown.
