Kalvin Phillips struggled to make an impact in Man City’s defeat to Southampton (Getty)
Jamie Redknapp believes Kalvin Phillips is ‘miles off it’ after Manchester City were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten 2-0 at St Mary’s as Southampton booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi final where they meet Newcastle United.
Phillips, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact in what was his first start for City since his £42 million move from Leeds United in the summer.
The England international, who Guardiola called ‘overweight’ after the World Cup in December, was hauled off after 63 minutes as City attempted to claw their way back into the game against Southampton.
And Redknapp believes Phillips has lost the ‘spite’ and ‘aggression’ which made him a success at Leeds.
‘I think there are a number of factors right now with Kalvin Phillips,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports after City’s defeat to Southampton.
‘There’s a lot of rustiness because before the World Cup he wasn’t fit, he’d been injured, he was picked by Gareth Southgate, and when you’re in the squad and not playing it’s very hard to keep up that match fitness.
Kalvin Phillips lasted just over an hour in his first start for Man City since his £42m move from Leeds United (AFP/Getty)
‘You can see he’s come back, he’s took a little bit of criticism from his manager, it’s been tough for him.
‘One of the things I really admired about Kalvin Phillips at Leeds was he was tenacious, he’d get after people, there was a bit of spite, a bit of aggression about him.
‘Now he’s gone to Man City I think he thinks, ‘okay, I’m just going to play easy here, keep it simple, be a bit passive in my movements’. That for me is not what Kalvin Phillips is about.
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‘When he was at Leeds he was the talisman, he was the one who won every tackle. He was brushed aside, there was no real strength about his play [against Southampton] and that epitomised his performance.
‘I feel he’s almost got to go back to basics, to the midfield player that he was at Leeds, be a little bit nastier and get after people.
‘That’s what Pep Guardiola will want. At the moment he’s miles off it.’
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