Pep Guardiola has labelled Kalvin Phillips as "sexy" after the midfielder was subject to brutal trolls from the Leeds United supporters at Elland Road on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old was set to make an eagerly awaited return to his boyhood club for the first time since leaving in the summer but Phillips failed to come on despite being named on the bench. The Spaniard even blasted Phillips for coming back "overweight" from England duty after the Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup on December 10.
Guardiola said before the Carabao Cup tie with Liverpool : "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. That's why he cannot play. When he will be ready, he will play, because we need him, we need him a lot. It's a private conversation with Kalvin."
However, after Leeds fans mocked Phillips by saying he 'eats what he wants', Guardiola backed his player by issuing a short but frank response following the full-time whistle. He said: "He has the perfect body, so sexy!"
Phillips had to watch from the bench as City ran out 3-1 winners over his former side Leeds thanks to Rodri's first-half effort and a Erling Haaland brace after the interval. Pascal Struijk pulled one back for the Whites in the 73rd minute but it was too little too late as City closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to five points.
Although he was back in the squad after being snubbed for the win over Liverpool last Thursday, Phillips didn't get on at all. But the England international did receive a warm reception when he was warming up from the Leeds faithful, and it wasn't until during the game that the brutal chants were heard.
Does Kalvin Phillips deserve more game time at Man City? Let us know in the comments below!
Meanwhile, his ex-boss Jesse Marsch did defend him after the game as the Whites remain two points above the relegation zone with just four wins from 15 matches this season. The American claimed his squad missed the character that Phillips brought to the team.
"We still miss Kalvin. He came for one of our matches, Fulham, and you could see he felt the pain of losing that match with us after the match. He missed being here. Of course, he misses being here, he misses the guys," Marsch said.
"He’s got a lot of great friends here, this club is in his heart. Kalvin was such a good player, but for me, he was a really likeable, heart-warming person to have around the team. He got along with everybody here, with the older players, as well as the younger players, with me as well as the academy coaches."
