Revealed: Why Phillips rejected Man Utd in favour of Man City
Cameron Smith
- 4 Jul 2022 17:06 BST
- 3 min read
Kalvin Phillips has officially been unveiled as a Manchester City player following his £45 million move from fellow Premier League side Leeds United.
Phillips, 26, won England's Player of the Year award in 2021 and had been touted for a move away from Elland Road since his stellar performances for Leeds in the Championship.
The midfielder will join the likes of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan in a stacked area of the pitch for Man City, and is expected to simply replace Fernandinho's role in the squad following the Brazilian's departure back to his homeland after his contract expired.
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There was plenty of interest in Phillips this summer, despite his injury problems, even though Leeds managed to survive relegation on the final day of the season. Jesse Marsch's side are also expected to lose Raphinha this window following interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.
Phillips, on the other hand, has already left, but he also had a decision to make in regards to his future. The England international was pursued by Manchester United as the Red Devils saw him as a potential answer to their midfield crisis.
However, the player opted to join the other side of Manchester instead, with Erik ten Hag's side now prioritising the capture of Barcelona's Dutch star Frenkie de Jong.
Why did Phillips choose Man City?
In his first interview with the club, Phillips delved into the reasons why he decided to join Man City amid interest from elsewhere, notably Man Utd.
Phillips pointed to the fact he's constantly striving to improve and learn as a key element of why he picked Man City.
"It’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come to City, to improve my game in loads of different ways," Phillips told ManCity.com.
"It’s hard for me to say right now how I’m going to play a role in the team because it’s very difficult to come into a team of 18 superstars.
"I’m looking forward to just getting to know the boys and getting my feet firmly on the ground and work from there.
"I did play in the Euros final and to be honest the nerves didn’t really hit me when I was playing it, it was more after that how big the game was.
"I deal very well with situations like that, I think I’m pretty suited to playing big games.
"I’ve not experienced many of them but hopefully this season I will do."
Phillips could make his competitive Man City debut in the Community Shield clash against Liverpool on 30 July.
