Why Man City have advantage over Man Utd in Kalvin Phillips race
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 19 May 2022 08:05 CDT
- 4 min read
Kalvin Phillips is of interest to both Manchester United and Manchester City, and a move to either club is possible in the coming months.
Both Manchester clubs are eager to bring in a defensive midfielder like Phillips, as they look to bolster their options in the transfer window and make up for lost players.
For United, it has long been the case that they needed a defensive midfielder and have lined up several targets, with Leeds’ Phillips being the latest one with serious links.
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For City, they are on the search for a replacement for Fernandinho, who will be leaving the club this summer at the age of 37, having joined in 2013 from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Pep Guardiola’s team are also set to let go of Ilkay Gundogan, after it was revealed the German was set to leave the club, and adding Phillips would bring in an extra body in midfield.
Will Phillips move to City or United?
At this point, it looks like City are ahead of their Manchester rivals in the race for 26-year-old Phillips and could secure the midfielder’s signature this summer.
There are several reasons for this: mainly, the competitive edge the reigning Premier League champions would provide by playing Champions League football and competing for major trophies.
On the other side, Manchester United are optimistic of progress under Erik ten Hag but competing amongst the best would still take a few more years as they have to complete a total rebuild of the squad.
Additionally, Phillips would have a sense of club loyalties – Leeds United and Manchester United have had a fierce rivalry over the years and moving to the Etihad Stadium perhaps wouldn’t bring up the same level of animosity, despite some players having made the move to Old Trafford in the past.
Pep Guardiola has targeted Leeds midfielder, Kalvin Phillips as a possible replacement for Fernandinho. The #ManCity manager believes Phillips would be the ideal addition and that he is one of the best in the business in the #PL, reports @CrossyDailyStar. 🏴🔵
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) May 18, 2022
Recent reports have suggested that Phillips has told close friends he isn’t interested in a move to Manchester United, and that could spin things in the blue side’s favour.
Earlier in the week, Rio Ferdinand, who moved from Leeds to Manchester United himself, said it was a difficult period in his life: "Trust me, I had the head of Yorkshire Police ring me when I left for Manchester United saying don't come back for a year. And I had only been (At Leeds) for 18 months. Phillips is a top player, he isn't going to Manchester United. If he does...brave man."
The opportunity to work in one of the world’s top teams, with a manager known for his rotation and ability to improve players would be an enticing one for Phillips.
Keeping his reputation with the Leeds support would be a valuable legacy to have as well – especially if Leeds go down from the Premier League.
