Pep Guardiola likes his Manchester City players to be positionally versatile and isn’t scared to put square pegs in round holes, so Vital Man City wondered if Kalvin Phillips could be used as a makeshift left-back if a first-choice option wasn’t signed to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer.
The thinking was that Phillips would struggle for playing time in his preferred position but would be open to a defensive role if it meant he’d get more appearances. The 27-year-old was briefly used as a makeshift centre-back in pre-season and is a fantastic ball-winner, so it wasn’t a terrible idea.
But now with Joao Cancelo set to leave City without a replacement being brought in, some supporters on Twitter seem to agree that Guardiola could call upon Phillips to operate on the left.
Pep demands his fullbacks be comfortable stepping into midfield, so could Phillips not do that? Guardiola also demands his players be comfortable in possession and not wasteful, so the 27-year-old’s boasting a 93.3% average pass completion ratio in the Champions League should better his chances.
Guardiola is a hard man to predict, but he’s surely thought about using Phillips out wide? Fans are gearing up for the announcement…
In other news, Man City slated for allowing Joao Cancelo to leave without replacement lined up
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