Pep Guardiola stated in Friday’s pre-match press conference that Kalvin Phillips will be available for selection against Brentford in the Premier League. “Kalvin you saw in the last game,” he remarked. He is prepared.”
After a lengthy shoulder injury, the 26-year-old returned to training in late October and came off the bench in Manchester City’s EFL Cup win over Chelsea. Phillips is fit to face Brentford, but Guardiola must decide how much playing time he will give him.
The defensive-midfielder was picked for England’s World Cup squad and won’t want to risk injury after spending two months on the treatment table, but he needs to improve his match fitness by playing games.
Rodri should start ahead of Phillips against Brentford, but Guardiola might introduce him from the bench again. That’s if he’s capable of playing twice in four days, however
The 26-year-old has made four appearances in all competitions this season, amassing 53 minutes of football. Phillips has missed 11 games due to injury and had to undergo surgery to fix the problem, so he’ll be desperate to make up for a lost time by featuring in some capacity over the weekend.
If Phillips can get a significant amount of minutes under his belt before joining up with the national team, he’ll be in better condition at the World Cup and might have a chance of starting in their opening group game.
