Manchester City can’t recall Kalvin Phillips from his loan spell at Ipswich Town, according to The Athletic.
Following the news that Rodri may be sidelined for the rest of the season after picking up an ACL injury, bringing Phillips back to the Etihad as cover for the Spaniard could have been considered.
However, there is no recall option in Phillips’ loan agreement, which means he will remain at Portman Road until the end of June. Despite the confirmation, City supporters on X are not overly bothered that the 28-year-old won’t be returning to the club:
Good. Don’t want him
— Phips (@Phips__) September 25, 2024
He won’t play so what’s the point 😅
— cyan_finch19 (@pinaslang) September 25, 2024
Thank god for that
— Adezz (@Greatest_Pep) September 25, 2024
They are trying to recall him So that they can bench him? Because that was the case when rodri got injured last time
— Murdoch (@drifting_a_way) September 25, 2024
Pep wouldn’t do that anyway, it was quite clear in preseason he is no longer an option in midfield which is why he moved him to cb
— Code Blue (@ClaireMulcahy17) September 25, 2024
Prefer to give opportunities to Nico O’relly than watch Kalvin Philips play
— Çhékß (@hk68079241) September 25, 2024
Phillips is also injured
It should be noted that the England international did not play for Ipswich against Southampton last weekend due to a thigh injury.
Since moving from Leeds in the summer of 2022, Phillips has had constant fitness problems, and his struggles have continued out on loan.
City have solutions in the squad
While Rodri’s injury is a hammer blow for manager Pep Guardiola, there are other midfielders who can provide cover in the player’s absence.
Mateo Kovacic has started the season well, while Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly are likely to get plenty of game time too. If they really need to strengthen, they can always go into the transfer market in January. A few potential replacements have already been suggested.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
