Expert: Kalvin Phillips ‘gutted’ as behind-the-scenes Man City images emerge
Kalvin Phillips will be “gutted” that his last season at Leeds United was blighted by injury – but the superior resources of Man City mean the same is unlikely to happen in 2022-23.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
City announced the purchase of Phillips, 26, from Leeds on Monday (4 July).
As relayed by the Daily Mail last Friday (1 July), Phillips was pictured arriving for his medical three days before the signing was confirmed.
The midfielder missed the bulk of 2021-22 with injuries, including a hamstring tear that required surgery in December.
But Dinnery insists that City have conducted an extensive medical and have had ample time to weigh up the risks.
“City have had Phillips in the crosshairs for a while,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Typically, there are two types of medical. One is where you are rushing to get the paperwork done and are just covering the main assessment points. Then there are the ones where you can really sit down and go through everything.
“The two biggest problems we’ve had with Phillips are shoulder and hamstring-related. But to contextualise, we are coming off the back of heavily disrupted seasons.
“At the Euros, no one covered more distance than him. Coming into that Leeds team under Bielsa, it was maybe no surprise that he was one of the players to break down.
“He’ll be gutted that his last season went the way it did. But while his availability may have been a little disappointing since he’s come into the Premier League, generally it has been okay.
“City will want to make sure they are getting a player who can play the majority of games. But the difference between City and Leeds is night and day.
“There is a lot more scope to be able to manage the player from the outset, and the style of play is different. They will want to make sure he’s fit for purpose. I don’t have any doubt that is what they will have found.”
In other news, Leeds United employee “sure” on Darko Gyabi role as “brilliant” Man City news confirmed.