Kalvin Phillips makes sad admission about his weight after brutal comments from Man City boss Pep Guardiola
Kalvin Phillips has admitted he was left aggrieved following comments about his weight by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola
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Kalvin Phillips has admitted he was left aggrieved following comments about his weight by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The England international is currently on loan at Ipswich Town, having struggled for game time since joining City from Leeds back in 2022.
Phillips was loaned to West Ham in January but his issues continued at the London Stadium, with the midfielder eventually returning to the Etihad this summer.
After the World Cup in 2022, Guardiola described Phillips as 'overweight'. The Spaniard has since admitted he regrets his choice of words.
Kalvin Phillips has admitted he was left aggrieved following comments about his weight by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola
PA
Speaking to the BBC, Phillips admits he was 'peed off' by Guardiola's decision to criticise him.
And the 28-year-old also revealed that every club interested in recruiting him this summer asked about his weight.
"You probably heard about the time when Pep came out and said that I was overweight after the World Cup and stuff," he said.
"And I think that narrative on social media just kind of grew and grew.
"Every club that I'd go to, I spoke to, like the manager and the nutritionist and stuff like that, they'd always speak about weight before they'd say anything else.
"And it got to the point where it peed me off a little bit.
"I was getting quite frustrated with it, but then now I've come to Ipswich like the manager's an unbelievable person as well as a manager.
"We spoke about all my past stuff that happened in my career and stuff like that.
"He kind of just said I'm big on body composition and I just want you to get to where you was when you left Leeds or when you was at Leeds.
"I think that'll give us a good starting point for you to push on and hopefully get to back, back to where you was."
Phillips feels, however, that he's learned from the experience.
He says he was set a weight target by Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Leeds - and also hit out at Guardiola for barely playing him during his time at City.
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Kalvin Phillips is feeling good at Ipswich Town following his loan move from Man City back in the summer
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"It is only recently since I came to Ipswich I have got the target, around about the target Bielsa set me," he added.
"Because I have not played much in the last two years, one and a half years.
"The manager is very big on body composition here as well and I thought 'I'm not getting off to a bad start here as well, I need to come in and make sure my weight it on point' and stuff like that."
Meanwhile, back in February, Guardiola apologised for his comments.
Kalvin Phillips struggled for regular action under Pep Guardiola at Man City prior to his move to Ipswich Town
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"Yeah, I'm sorry," said the City boss.
"[Apologising] once in eight years is not bad. But I'm so sorry. I apologise to him. I do apologise. I'm so sorry."
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