Gary Neville ridicules Kalvin Phillips over Man City spell as source reveals star’s true thoughts ahead of West Ham transfer

Kalvin Phillips will on Thursday finalise a move from Manchester City to West Ham on a loan deal which could become permanent in the summer – but the England man will do so with some painful words in his ear from merciless pundit Gary Neville.

The England international is a regular under Gareth Southgate, having won 31 caps over the last four years. However, his spell at Manchester City could not have gone worse with Phillips limited to very little action and failing to convince Pep Guardiola he had the quality needed to feature regularly in their side.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has managed just 89 minutes of Premier League action this season – all off the bench – while also limited to just two starts in the competition last season as City retained their crown.

And while Guardiola offered an apology to the player for his lack of action, the player accepted he needed to move on for both the good of his career and to ensure his place in the England squad for this summer’s European Championships was secure.

After a heated transfer battle that drew in the likes of Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Tottenham and also saw him subject of an enquiry from both Barcelona and Juventus, it is West Ham who have won the transfer race.

And as we revealed on Tuesday, Phillips has agreed a loan move to the Hammers until the end of the season that could become a permanent deal if all parties are in agreement.

As it stands, however, David Moyes’ side have not yet agreed terms on his permanent switch, though by all accounts, he has played his final game for City and his nightmare spell will finally be confirmed as over later on Thursday.

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Kalvin Phillips to undergo West Ham medical on Thursday

Per our sources, Phillips will undergo his medical with the Hammers on Thursday and, assuming all goes to plan, will be presented as the Irons’ first January signing later in the day.

The player has already said his goodbyes to his City teammates during an eight-hour flight from Abu Dhabi back to Manchester following a warm-weather training camp in the Middle East.

A deal for 19-year-old left winger Ibrahim Osman –  due to arrive in a €17.5m (£15m) deal from Nordsjaelland in the coming days – will soon follow.

While the move to West Ham should enhance Phillips’ prospects of playing regular football, he will still face a battle for a shirt with Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez the competition in a Moyes side that tends to operate either in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Nonetheless, Phillips will depart the Etihad having won four major medals during his 18-month spell at the club. And despite his lack of game-time, the Daily Mail‘s Jack Gaughan claims “Kalvin (Phillips) doesn’t have any regrets about the move (to Manchester City)”.

Gary Neville rinses former Leeds man over Man City spell

In the meantime, Gary Neville insists Phillips was never the right fit for City and claims his move was not just a waste of £42m, but also brutally points to the fact that average players are exposed when they move to bigger clubs.

Neville reckons the move to take Phillips to West Ham, though, is a shrewd move, all the same.

“I think it’s a good fit. I can see why David Moyes would want Kalvin Phillips – that reliability in midfield,” he told the Gary Neville podcast.

“There’s this theory that goes around that an average player can play in a great team because they will be carried by the rest of the players – that isn’t the case. You’d stand out a million miles if you couldn’t cope with the ability and the quick speed of the player.

“That’s what’s happened to Phillips a little bit at City – it’s all a little bit too quick for him. You’ve got to have eyes in the back of your head, receive it on the half-turn and be absolutely brilliant technically.”

Phillips departs City having played 31 times for the Blues, but with just five of those starts. A fresh start was very much needed.

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