Man City set to hand forgotten star shock lifeline after Pep Guardiola apology

Manchester City are poised to include Kalvin Phillips in their 25-man Premier League squad this season with the midfielder last making an appearance for the club back in 2023

Kalvin Phillips could be brought back in from the cold at Manchester City with the midfielder set to be included in the former champions’ 25-man squad for the Premier League following a year away from The Etihad.

Phillips, 29, spent the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Ipswich Town after falling out of favour at City. The former Leeds star is still a City player, though, after a permanent move away from the club failed to materialise this summer – and it has now emerged that Phillips is eligible to participate in the Manchester derby on Sunday after being named in the club’s Premier League squad.

Even prior to his temporary switch to Suffolk last year, Phillips had been frozen out by Pep Guardiola. He last played for Manchester City 21 months ago, back in the 2023 Club World Cup. Yet The Telegraph claims that Phillips will be given the chance to resurrect his career with City.

READ MORE: Man City vs Man United derby could have 12 stars missing after fresh injury blowsREAD MORE: Erling Haaland brutally tears into teammates ahead of Man Utd clash – ‘Not good enough’

Phillips, who has been working on his fitness ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, made 19 appearances for Ipswich last year as they were relegated from the top-flight. The £45million midfielder also had a spell on loan at West Ham after falling down the pecking order at The Etihad following his move from Leeds in 2022.

Things unravelled for Phillips at City following the 2022 World when Guardiola criticised the midfielder over his physical condition after he returned to Manchester from Qatar. Speaking in February 2024 after leaving City on loan, Phillips admitted his manager’s comments had “a big knock on my confidence”.

Guardiola reacted to Phillips’ comments by issuing an apology, saying: “Yeah, I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him,” he said. “I spoke to him before [making the comment]. I never, ever don’t speak to the team before I say something here, or the player in that case.”

Phillips has made just 31 appearances since joining City back in July 2022 and was recovering from an Achilles injury over the summer. He had been linked with a return to his former club, Leeds, though a move failed to materialise.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.