Man City Set to Name Forgotten Man in Squad With New Role Proposed

Manchester City are set to name a forgotten player in their Premier League squad despite not playing for the club for nearly two years.

City named their Champions League squad for their eight fixtures in the league phase and their Premier League squad will also be submitted imminently.

And according to The Telegraph, there is poised to be a major surprise amongst the 25 players Pep Guardiola will call upon for the season.

Guardiola has spoken about preferring to have a smaller squad to work with and happily offloaded the likes of Jack Grealish, James McAtee, Ederson, Manuel Akanji and Ilkay Gundogan in the transfer window.

But one player who has ended up staying City beyond the transfer window is Kalvin Phillips - despite having his No.4 shirt taken by new signing Tijjani Reijnders.

Kalvin Phillips could make a shock Man City comeback. Image: Getty

Phillips had not recovered from an achilles injury when the transfer window was in full swing and has now returned to first-team training with City.

A homegrown player, the England international could yet be given a second chance - almost two years after his last appearance City in the Club World Cup against Urawa Red Diamonds in December 2023.

Though he is not in the Champions League squad, Phillips is free to play domestically as different Premier League rules allowed him to benefit from the extra space.

He struggled for game-time after signing from Leeds United in a £42 million move in 2022, making just two starts in the Premier League.

Phillips spent time on loan at West Ham and Ipswich Town, though neither moved to sign him permanently.

Kalvin Phillips tipped to solve Man City issue

And while City's midfield is still well-stocked, some fans believe he could end up being useful at right-back - where City have deployed Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes so far this season.

Pep Guardiola has regularly praised Phillips despite his lack of minutes. Image: Getty

One fan commented: "Real talk, can Kalvin Phillips play right back?”

A second said: "I know Pep Guardiola will play Kalvin Phillips at right back at some point this season, I just can’t prove it…”

A third wrote: "Kalvin Phillips right back remontada?"

A fourth joked: "Kalvin Phillips played 2' for Leeds in the Championship against Sheffield Wednesday (20/8/16) as a right-midfielder. I see the right-back vision. Time for redemption."

A final user asked: "Who said we didn't have a right back?"

Phillips still has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2028 and Guardiola has regularly praised his attitude and behaviour - hence why he remains part of the main training group and could yet to return to the fold.