It’s not been a great start to life at Man City for Kalvin Phillips, and the notion that the former Leeds United star was overweight is also something that appears to have bothered the England international.
After signing for Pep Guardiola’s side, it was expected that Phillips would go on to be a great for the club, however, the reality has seen him be anything but that.
All footballers rely on confidence to get them through matches. Whether it’s a striker needing it to help find the back of the net, or the defender who needs to know exactly when to make that bone-crunching challenge, having unwavering self-confidence can get you far in games and also in life.
So imagine Phillips’ emotions when being told by his new manager that he wasn’t in the right physical condition to play.
“The manager made his comments and I respected them. For me, I wasn’t overweight, but the manager has seen it very differently. I did my best to try to get as fit as possible and I was on the bench for the Leeds game straight after that and I was fit for every game since,” he said to BBC Five Live (h/t Mirror Sport).
“There was just a misunderstanding between me and some staff members […] I wanted to show my side of the story and my move from Leeds to City.
“I want to inspire kids with any stories like mine. I didn’t really have a father figure when I was growing up.
“I went to see him a couple of months ago and said I wanted to help him when he gets out, help him settle down and make sure he doesn’t go back to prison like he always used to do. He said ‘Kalvin, all I want to do is travel and watch you play football. I’ll be happy with that for the rest of my life’.
“He said he’s missed so many things and seeing me now at one of the best teams in the world, it would just be a joy to come and watch me all the time.”
The old cliche that what doesn’t kill you wakes you stronger would appear to perfectly apply here.
Given that he appears to have shaken off any criticism, if he’s able to force his way into the team under Guardiola, Phillips could find that his international aspirations are more fully realised.
Until then, hopefully he can steer clear of the nonsense.