Pep Guardiola has described Kalvin Phillips as the “perfect” replacement for Fernandinho at Manchester City. The midfielder could make his full debut for the club against Newcastle on Sunday after returning from injury.
Guardiola revealed that Marcelo Bielsa first alerted him to Phillips’s potential while the player was still in the Championship with Leeds United. City subsequently paid £42m for the England international after Fernandinho left to join Athletico Paranaense in Brazil at the end of last season.
“He spoke about him three or four years ago,” Guardiola said. “He spoke about him, when he was in the Championship, it was the first time I realised Kalvin Phillips played for Leeds and he spoke with me: ‘There is a guy who is really, really good, maybe not now for Manchester City but maybe one day he can play in the top teams.’ After he proved Marcelo was not wrong, [he was] promoted to Premier League and national team. The steps they have done is, for Kalvin and Leeds, credit. After Fernandinho decided to go to Brazil, the rest is history, we were looking for a holding midfielder and we thought he was perfect for us.”
Bielsa helped reshape Phillips from an attack-minded player into a holding midfielder during his time at Elland Road. The 26-year-old was an unused substitute in the Community Shield against Liverpool before making his Premier League debut late on at West Ham. He missed last week’s win over Bournemouth with a knock but is available for the trip to St James’ Park.
Guardiola stressed the need for patience given Phillips’s recent fitness issues. “We don’t have doubts, he is a national-team England player, makes an incredible improvement as a player,” he said. “He was working with Marcelo Bielsa, he’s British, that helps the Premier League a lot, too. Last season he had injuries and you have to be careful right now with the little disturbances he had last week, try to avoid it in the future. I am sure he is going to adapt. September starts, every three days a game, we will need him and he will prove how valuable he is – we don’t have doubts.”
