Kalvin Phillips: Can Man City and England’s forgotten man ever get his career back on track?

Phillips had his moments for Ipswich. but injuries disrupted his progress. He suffered a gash on his foot against Nottingham Forest which required 20 stitches before he ended the season by injuring his Achilles tendon, leading to him missing six of the Tractor Boys’ final seven games.

Worst of all, though, he was forced to to undergo surgery to fix the issue over the summer, effectively ending his hopes of joining another team on loan as he was only able to resume training in late August. There wouldn’t, in reality, have been many takers for Phillips given his performances over the last three seasons, injury record and his high wages (reported to be £120,000 per week).

Phillips was left with little choice but to remain with City, and he resumed training with the rest of the first-team squad in September. He made a surprise return to the matchday squad for the Carabao Cup tie at Huddersfield Town that month, but in keeping with his miserable run of luck from a football point of view, the game happened to coincide with the birth of his son. Phillips was initially ruled out but was a surprise inclusion on the teamsheet as a substitute having raced back from a London hospital. It may have only been seven minutes, but he came off the bench to make his first City appearance in 21 months.

“It’s been a long three-and-a-half months out and there’s still work to be done personally,” he wrote on Instagram. “Nevertheless, I’m so happy to be back out on the pitch again in a City shirt. Thank you to the fans for your support, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Onto the next round.”

Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish were among those to congratulate Phillips on his return, though he has not played since. He was an unused substitute in the next round of the League Cup at Swansea City, but he has not featured in a single matchday squad for a Premier League game, while he wasn’t even included in City’s squad list for the Champions League.