Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips has discussed fellow defensive midfielder, Rodri following his cameo appearance against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
For City and England fans wondering whether Kalvin Phillips would be fit in time for the World Cup, then the 2-0 testing win over Chelsea provided the answer.
Despite both sides making considerable changes to their respective line-ups, the match certainly had a competitive edge to it.
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Manchester City were the better side for the most part of the game, with second-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez putting the Etihad side into the fourth round of the 2022/23 Carabao Cup.
A man of the match performance from second-choice goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega Moreno kept the Sky Blues in control, as he made several crucial saves throughout the contest.
The night also saw the anticipated return to match action for summer signing Kalvin Phillips, who has now fully recovered from shoulder surgery undertaken last month.
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The England international midfielder missed a total of 12 games after first suffering the problem, and he received a warm reception when introduced on Wednesday night.
The former Leeds United man played 40 minutes upon his return, after being introduced following the half-time interval.
During the first-half, Kalvin Phillips was actively watching fellow teammate Rodri - who occupies a similar role.
When asked after the contest about what he thought of his defensive midfield colleague, Phillips responded, “How good a player he is."
"Everyone in this City team is unbelievable technically.”
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He continued, “I thought he (Rodri) was quite good technically on the ball before I came to City.
"I had my first training session, and I was blown away.
"All the lads here are brilliant here, I’m trying to fit in and that’s been difficult with injury."
The England international is set to be travel with Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad in the coming days for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
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Manchester City have one game remaining of their own before the Premier League breaks for the tournament, and Kalvin Phillips will be hopeful for more minutes under his belt against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Topics: Kalvin Phillips, Rodri, Manchester City, Chelsea, Carabao Cup, Premier League, Football
