Manchester City have been given a boost ahead of Wednesday’s third-round EFL Cup clash against Chelsea, with Kalvin Phillips recovering from injury and being in contention to face the Blues.
The 26-year-old had made just three appearances in all competitions since joining from Leeds United over the summer but spent two months out after undergoing surgery on a shoulder problem.
His last game in a City shirt came against Borussia Dortmund in September’s 2-1 win at home.
Man City v Chelsea: What will the outcome be?
Man City to win
Chelsea to win
But after returning to training last week and having contact sessions in the build up to Saturday’s meeting with Fulham, Phillips may be ready to make the matchday squad against Chelsea.
He told reporters after Man City’s 2-1 win over Fulham: “(He) feels much better. Kalvin did a full training session with contact with us and he felt good. Against Chelsea he will be on the bench. Whether to play or not I don’t know, but he will be on bench. Kalvin is much better.”
Phillips has missed eight Premier League games in and four Champions League matches, so the majority of his debut season in Manchester has been spent on the sidelines than the pitch. The England international’s return has been a long time coming, not least because of his World Cup aspirations, and the EFL Cup is the ideal platform to play him while he’s short of match fitness.
City’s priority is to retain the league title and win the Champions League this season, so Guardiola will likely use domestic cups as a chance to include youngsters and out-of-favour players in his squad.
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