Can Man City and England’s forgotten man ever get his career back on track?

Kalvin Phillips left Leeds United for Manchester City in pursuit of his ambitions, but since writing an emotional two-page farewell letter to his boyhood club, his career has unravelled.

A string of injuries, setbacks and humiliations has left the England midfielder unlikely to even make the bench when Leeds visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Born and raised in Leeds, Phillips dreamed of playing for his hometown club from the moment he first visited Elland Road as a child. His upbringing was difficult — his mother raised him and his siblings alone while his father spent most of Phillips’ youth and adulthood in prison.

Born a triplet, Phillips lost one of his sisters as a newborn, leaving his mother grieving and often going without food so her children could eat.

Driving to training at Thorp Arch, Phillips would pass the prison where his father was held. When Leeds finally returned to the Premier League in 2020 after 16 years, his dad phoned him so he could hear inmates chanting “Marching On Together.”

Phillips was central to Leeds’ 9th-place finish in their first season back in the top flight, earning an England call-up in 2020. He went on to start every match for the Three Lions at Euro 2020, and after helping Leeds narrowly escape relegation the following year, he joined Manchester City in a deal worth up to £42 million — then the club’s record sale.

“I hope you understand my decision,” he wrote in his goodbye message to Leeds fans, explaining his desire to test himself among the world’s best. But that test went badly wrong, and his career has spiralled ever since.

A bad start

In hindsight, Phillips’ City experience seemed doomed from the beginning. Too unwell to attend his unveiling with other new signings like Erling Haaland in 2022, he also got off on the wrong foot with Pep Guardiola’s staff. Coaches felt he struggled to grasp the responsibilities of City’s holding midfielder role, and quickly concluded that academy graduate Romeo Lavia — then just 18 — was better suited.

Phillips’ first appearance came in a pre-season game against Club América, oddly playing centre-back. After brief minutes in another friendly against Bayern Munich, he was reduced to one minute of action across the first three Premier League matches.

The “overweight” episode

His first start, a friendly against Barcelona, was followed by a shoulder injury that required surgery. He missed 10 games, only returning just before the World Cup break. Despite his lack of club minutes, Gareth Southgate still took him to Qatar, where he featured twice.

But the shock came on his return. Guardiola omitted him from the squad to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and told reporters bluntly: “He’s not injured, he arrived overweight.”

Those comments stuck to him. Phillips later said the remark fuelled a narrative that every club questioned his weight before anything else, and it left him increasingly frustrated.

A passenger in Guardiola’s plans

During City’s treble-winning season, Phillips barely featured, making only two Premier League starts — both after the title was secured. His second season was worse: he logged just 89 minutes in the league across four substitute appearances.

With City signing both Mateo Kovačić and Matheus Nunes in 2023, Phillips became a distant fourth choice behind Rodri. His only starts came in the Carabao Cup and inconsequential Champions League matches, though he did score his lone City goal from the spot against Red Star Belgrade.

Guardiola eventually admitted why Phillips never fit: “I visualise the team and I struggle to see him… He doesn’t deserve what has happened to him and I’m so sorry.”

Loan misery

After rejecting a loan move in summer 2023, Phillips joined West Ham in January 2024 — but his fortunes worsened. On his debut he gifted Bournemouth a goal with his second touch. His next home appearance came during a 6–0 thrashing by Arsenal.

At Nottingham Forest he was sent off, then subbed at half-time against Burnley, and later confronted a fan who labelled him “useless” after a 4–3 defeat at Newcastle.

He played just 10 matches for West Ham, starting only three, and never lasted a full 90 minutes.

Ipswich and further setbacks

Returning to City, Phillips joined the club’s 2024 pre-season tour before moving on loan to newly promoted Ipswich Town. He spoke about wanting to enjoy football again and feel less pressure, but injuries disrupted his revival.

A foot gash requiring 20 stitches sidelined him, then an Achilles injury saw him miss six of Ipswich’s final seven matches.

Surgery over the summer prevented a further move, leaving him to recover at City.

He rejoined training in September and unexpectedly made the bench for a Carabao Cup match against Huddersfield — rushing from London due to the birth of his son — playing seven minutes in what was his first City appearance in 21 months.

He thanked fans for their support on Instagram, but hasn’t played since. Phillips was not selected for Premier League squads, nor was he included in City’s Champions League list.

What comes next?

It is hard to imagine Phillips featuring for City again. With January approaching, the window may be his final opportunity to rescue his career.

Nearly 30 years old and still under contract for another two-and-a-half years, he is entitled to stay, but a permanent exit — potentially outside the Premier League — may be the only realistic path forward.

Former striker Dean Saunders once argued Phillips’ career was veering toward the fate of Dele Alli. Raheem Sterling, another former England teammate, has also fallen into limbo after being cast aside at Chelsea.

Yet Phillips might still find redemption if he follows the route of Jack Grealish, who went from a City outcast to an Everton hero after a loan move.

After everything he has endured, there is surely a part of Phillips that wishes he had never left Leeds. His next ambition should be simple: to rediscover the joy of playing football and rebuild the career that once promised so much.