Phillips admits injury cycle has derailed his Man City career as he seeks fresh start

Kalvin Phillips has conceded that a vicious cycle of inactivity and injury has effectively ended his time as a Manchester City player, with the 30-year-old midfielder hoping a fresh move this summer can revive a career that has stalled badly since his £45 million arrival from Leeds in 2022.

Phillips managed just three appearances during a loan spell at Sheffield United in the Championship last season before injury cut his campaign short — the latest in a string of setbacks that have also included loan stints at West Ham and Ipswich, none of which produced the consistent run of games he needed.

“It was alright, all two [three] games of it,” Phillips told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “I suffered an injury which kept me out for the rest of the season. That’s been the problem for me the last three years of not playing regularly — it’s made me acquire more injuries and stuff like that. So I’m looking forward to hopefully having a good season, actually.”

Despite remaining under contract at the Etihad until 2028, Phillips has not featured in City’s first-team plans for some time. The club would prefer to secure a permanent sale this summer, though they have so far been unable to move beyond temporary loan arrangements.

His situation is symptomatic of a broader midfield problem that City sporting director Hugo Viana is under pressure to resolve. Phillips, Matheus Nunes, Nico Gonzalez, and Tijjani Reijnders have all been signed by the club within the past five years, yet none has managed to establish a regular starting role.

Viana is already moving to address the issue. Elliot Anderson is set to join from Newcastle for a club-record £116 million this summer, and City are also monitoring Sandro Tonali and Morocco teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi as Viana weighs further reinforcements in the engine room.

For Phillips, the priority is simpler: find a club willing to give him sustained game time and prove that the player who earned 31 England caps and starred in Leeds’ Premier League return still has something to offer at the top level.