Former England midfielder Jermaine Pennant believes that West Ham United midfielder Kalvin Phillips does not deserve an opportunity for the upcoming friendly clashes against Belgium and Brazil in preparation for the European championships.
Philips joined West Ham on loan in order to get his career back on track with regular football. However, his performances have been quite underwhelming so far.
Pennant believes that players like Declan Rice, Ross Barkley and Jude Bellingham should be given preference ahead of players like Phillips and Jordan Henderson.
The former Leeds United midfielder had established himself as a key player for the England national team during his time at Elland Road. He will be thoroughly disappointed with how the move to Manchester City has worked out for him. He would have expected better when he joined West Ham in January but the transfer is not going according to plan for him.
It will be interesting to see if Philips can make amends and bounce back strongly in the coming weeks.
There is no doubt that he can be one of the best defensive midfielders in the league when he is in form and he could be an asset for his country as well.