Prior to moving on loan to West Ham United last month, Kalvin Phillips spent eighteen months at Manchester City. He claims that the hardest part of his time there was when Pep Guardiola made a remark about his weight last year.
Phillips, 28, represented England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but went home heavier than the objective set by his team. In response, Guardiola labeled him “overweight” and stated that he wasn’t in good enough shape to workout.
Phillips stated, “It was probably the worst [time] after the World Cup when Pep came out and said, ‘I’m overweight. He was right to do that, but there are many ways to go about it.
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“I didn’t argue with him, but it’s clear that I felt a lot worse about myself and my confidence at City. Additionally, it did not sit well with my family. in particular, my mother.
“It was just a misunderstanding and I think he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my weight target.”
As he attempts to hold onto his spot in Gareth Southgate’s England side ahead of the European Championship in Germany this summer, Phillips has had a difficult start to life at West Ham.
