Richard Keys has thrown some shade at Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City manager labelled Kalvin Phillips as ‘overweight’.
The English midfielder has had a hard time of it this season as he suffered from constant injuries. But despite only playing 94 minutes of football, Phillips was picked by Gareth Southgate to join the England World Cup squad.
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After returning to his club from Qatar, the 27-year-old was informed that he would not be training with his teammates.
When asked why Phillips was not in the squad for Manchester City’s Carabao Cup game against Liverpool, Guardiola slammed the player and labelled him ‘overweight’.
‘He’s not injured – he arrived overweight. I don’t know [why]. He didn’t arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play.’ Guardiola said.
🎙️ “We need him. We need him a lot.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he doesn’t know why Kalvin Phillips has returned with fitness issues, following the Qatar World Cup 🏆🏴 pic.twitter.com/W10d1J4L3b
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 24, 2022
Guardiola’s brutally honest answer surprised a lot of people including Keys who accused the Manchester City manager of favouritism.
I’m wondering why Guardiola has exposed Phillips to ridicule for this ‘crime’. Never a word when he used to leave Aguero out for the same offence. Strange. pic.twitter.com/XA4jTPqCKH
— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) December 24, 2022
Managers tend to keep comments like these in the dressing room as they are considered personal matters.
Do you think Guardiola is right to expose this to the public?