Kalvin Phillips recently returned to training and had a contact session ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Fulham, but Pep Guardiola confirmed in Friday’s pre-match press conference that he wouldn’t feature against the Cottagers.
Man City v Fulham: What will the outcome be?
Man City win
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Fulham win
He told reporters: “Kalvin (is) still not fit,” so the 26-year-old will be sidelined for yet another match. It’s good news that he’s training alongside the first-team but City aren’t taking any chances on his fitness and won’t rush him back if he’s not 100%.
The England international has only made three appearances this season, last featuring in September’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the form of a late cameo from the bench.
Phillips has missed seven games in the Premier League and four outings in the Champions League, so he’ll be considerably short of match fitness when he is able to make the squad.
It’s been nearly two months after his last appearance and he’s only amassed 13 minutes on the pitch since leaving Leeds United over the summer.
Rodri is his direct competition for a starting place and only missed one game in the league and another in Europe, so it will be hard for Phillips to dethrone him when he’s fully recovered.
In other news, Kyle Walker ruled out of Fulham clash
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