Pep Guardiola sends Kalvin Phillips message after Rodri suspension
- Phillips is set to start for Man City while Rodri serves his suspension
- Rodri will miss three games after a red card against Nottingham Forest
- Minutes have been hard to come by for Phillips
By Tom Gott
Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kalvin Phillips will get the chance to impress for Manchester City in the absence of the suspended Rodri.
Rodri will miss the next three domestic games after being shown a straight red card in City's recent victory over Nottingham Forest, opening the door for a rare run of starts for Phillips.
Since joining from Leeds United in the summer of 2022, Phillips has played just 645 minutes of football in all club competitions, with just four of his 24 appearances coming as a starter.
However, with Rodri set to miss the next three domestic games, Phillips is set to take his place at the base of City's midfield, beginning with Wednesday's Carabao Cup third round clash with Newcastle United.
"[Kalvin] will start," Guardiola confirmed in Tuesday's press conference.
Guardiola continued: "Not just this week for many, many times since he arrived, he's been really important.
"His consistency, he does everything in the game what happened against Nottingham, it was more defensive, resilient, defend and he helped us breathe. The important [thing] is when you act in the smaller spaces we try to help him. The game tomorrow is important and every single game I'll decide what's best for the team."
Phillips' limited role at City saw him attract significant transfer interest during the summer window, with Liverpool and Bayern Munich among the sides to reach out to discuss his availability.
The midfielder made it clear early in the summer that he did not want to leave and, after some initial uncertainty over his future, City ultimately opted to keep hold of the 27-year-old.
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