The England midfielder’s West Ham career has not been going well since his loan move from Manchester City.
Kalvin Phillips, a former Leeds United midfielder, endured another West Ham United nightmare as his loan deal from Manchester City continued to fail.
The 28-year-old was substituted at halftime in Sunday’s Premier League match against Burnley, with his team down 2-0 to the Premier League’s joint lowest side at the time. Phillips and James Ward-Prowse were replaced by Edson Alvarez and Michail Antonio, and the Hammers eventually managed a 2-2 draw.
West Ham manager David Moyes had joked about getting the ‘Leeds United version’ of Phillips at the London Stadium, but when asked why he had taken the England midfielder off at halftime, the ex-Manchester United and Everton manager simply said: “You’ve just asked me about the half-time score. “That probably says enough.”
Phillips was to blame for David Datro Fofana’s opener for Vincent Kompany’s side, allowing the Chelsea loanee to break free and strike a beautiful drive into the net. Phillip has had a string of bad luck since his January loan move from Manchester City. He got sent off against Nottingham Forest and has yet to play 90 minutes.
Speaking before of Sunday’s encounter, Moyes expressed confidence that Phillips would find the form that convinced Manchester City to pay Leeds United about £40 million for his services in July 2022. He was unable to break into the first-team picture under Pep Guardiola, which prompted his January loan move.
“He didn’t need to improve; all he needed was game time,” Moyes stated last week. “The send-off slowed him down just as he was getting going. Kalvin will continue to develop as he gains more game time, as evidenced by his current performance. He’s a terrific guy to work with, and he wants to get back to the level he set with Leeds United.”
