Kalvin Phillips has revealed what led to him switching Manchester City for the Championship in a tell-all interview.
It has been a long time since Kalvin Phillips had a role to play at Manchester City, with his move from Leeds United never really working out.
The former England international only played seven minutes of football under Pep Guardiola during the first half of the season, as City defeated Huddersfield Town.
With seemingly no future at the club, Phillips joined Sheffield United on a loan move which will last for the remainder of this season.
Kalvin Phillips details why he left Manchester City
Phillips already made two loan moves away from Man City before he joined Sheffield United, but he decided spending some time in the Championship was the right move for his career.
The midfielder was concerned he would not get minutes at City and this would be the case if went to another Premier League team, making Sheffield United the perfect choice.
“I want to play as many games as possible. If I’d gone to a Premier League team, it might have taken longer to get into the team, and they have fewer games,” Phillips told Sky Sports.
“I’d rather be put in the deep end than work my way in. Chris [Wilder] has been really good with me, asking how I’m feeling and making sure that if there’s anything body-wise or uncomfortable, he’s there to ask the questions. I’ve really enjoyed it since I’ve been here.”
Detailing the moment he decided to join Sheffiled United, Phillips continued: “Funnily enough, it was early December when I was thinking about going out on loan. Pat texted me and said Chris is asking him to message me to see what I thought about coming here to play a few games.
“At first, I wasn’t sure, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought why not?”
Phillips knew his time at Man City was up
For Phillips, there was little doubt in his mind that remaining at Man City would do nothing but see him left out of the squad each week.
Therefore, he decided to push for an exit while he still has the ability to play at a high level of football.
“When I played at Ipswich last year, I got injured towards the end of the season, which was a killer because I felt like I was getting back into the rhythm,” Phillips revealed.
“Then I had a long injury over the summer and, being back at Manchester City, I knew my minutes would be limited because of the situation at the club.
“I hadn’t played much while I’d been there anyway, so I was just working on training well, getting as fit as possible and looking towards January.”
“I’m a person who works hard and never gives up on what I believe I can do,” he added.
“I just need to play football to get back to my former self. Once I get up and firing, I’ll feel a lot better and a lot more confident.
“Any player in my situation would say not playing has been the major reason for a dip. So many players have stayed at clubs for so long without playing, and their careers have fizzled out. I didn’t want that to happen.
“I still feel like I’ve got life in me and a lot of football to play. I’m looking forward to the next three or four years.”
