Gareth Southgate would be making a big mistake by including Kalvin Phillips in his next England squad.
That is the view of BBC Sport journalist Phil McNulty, who believes the on-loan Manchester City midfielder has endured a ‘nightmare’ start to life at West Ham United.
Leaving the Cityzens during the January transfer window after struggling for minutes under Pep Guardiola, Phillips, 28, teamed up with David Moyes in the hope of increasing his playing time ahead of this summer’s Euros.
However, despite featuring seven times for the Hammers, the 27-year-old has struggled massively and was even shown a red card against Nottingham Forest.
The midfielder’s latest showing came on Sunday afternoon against Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Moyes was forced to change things up and opted to substitute Phillips for Edson Alvarez.
The Scotsman tactical tweaks paid off too. A late comeback, thanks to a brace from Danny Ings, saw the Hammers complete a dramatic comeback to snatch a point.
Gareth Southgate warned against including Kalvin Phillips in England squad
However, despite fans’ relief, Phillips’ latest poor performance has not escaped criticism from McNulty, who has urged Southgate to pick Ajax’s Jordan Henderson over the West Ham number 11.
“Jordan Henderson is at least back playing for Ajax but I honestly cannot give you one single good reason why Phillips should be in the next England squad,” he said on a BBC Sport Q&A.
“He has either a) hardly played or b) had a nightmare at West Ham United when he has played. I think he may still pick Henderson, which I am not convinced about, but think it would be a mistake to pick Phillips.”
The upcoming international break will see England play two friendlies — both at home against Brazil (March 23) and Belgium (March 26).
Southgate is expected to name his full squad at 2 p.m. (UK time) on Thursday 14 March.