Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola apologised to Kalvin Phillips for going public about his being overweight.
Pep Guardiola has insisted that he told Kalvin Phillips that he was going to speak about his weight with reporters.
The Manchester City manager revealed in a press conference in December 2022 that he had left his summer signing out of the team to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup because he was overweight. Having been away with England at the World Cup in Qatar, Phillips had spent time in New York during his recovery time but returned back to Manchester weighing one-and-a-half kilos more than he should have done.
Phillips would earn a few more opportunities during the next 12 months but it was rare for Guardiola to publicly call out one of his own players and rare for him to question the professionalism of Phillips. The incident left the player and his family unhappy, and speaking after a loan move to West Ham for the rest of this season the former Leeds star spoke of the big impact it had had on him.
“When Pep came out and said I was overweight, he was right to do so but there are different ways to go about it,” he said this month. “I did not disagree with him but obviously it took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City I would probably say that. And my family were not happy about it, either. Especially my mum.”
Guardiola apologised if Phillips was hurt by the way that he went about it, but said that he explained what he was going to do before he did it. The manager also pointed to the infrequency with which similar issues have come up.
“I spoke to him. I never before I said something here [in a press conference] speak with the players in that case,” he said.
“I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him. I do apologise. I’m so sorry.”
Phillips has struggled since going out on loan to West Ham United last month. The midfielder was sent off against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and has also made mistakes that have led to goals.
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