Pep Guardiola open to sensational return for Manchester City midfielder following confirmed exit

Manchester City could yet reintegrate outcast midfielder Kalvin Phillips into their first-team squad in the future, Pep Guardiola has said.

The 28-year-old is looking to bring back to life his regular minutes and opportunities at the top of English football by linking up with Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town for the 2024/25 season in a season-long loan agreement.

Having fielded interest from the likes of West Ham and Fulham, alongside Ipswich, Phillips was simultaneously granted the opportunity to impress during pre-season for Manchester City, adopting a role in central defence to great effect in the United States.

However, with Manchester City holding a wealth of options in the position ahead of the new season, Phillips was unlikely to see the necessary minutes required to revive his chances of an England call-up whilst at the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking to the media ahead of City’s Premier League opener against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that he remains open to the idea of Kalvin Phillips being reintegrated into his first-team plans, in a move that could yet happen, too.

“Yeah, it looks like he’s going on loan to Ipswich,” Guardiola said just 30 minutes prior to his official unveiling as a Town midfielder. “And I think it’s close, and I think it’s already done, you never know until it’s happened. But apparently, he’s decided to go there.”

Continuing on what Phillips needs in order to revive his career at Manchester City, Guardiola said, “He has to have minutes, he has to recover game time; play, play, play, play.

“And we thought that maybe he would not have the minutes that he has to be, that he deserves to be, and that’s why it’s better to have minutes, and the chance maybe in the future to come back here. So this is what it is.”

Crucially however, Pep Guardiola said, “Absolutely, absolutely,” when asked whether Kalvin Phillips could yet continue playing for Manchester City beyond his temporary spell at Portman Road this season.

A similar situation looms over Joao Cancelo, who could yet leave Manchester City this summer on either a temporary or permanent agreement, despite Pep Guardiola remaining open to the idea of the Portugal international being reintegrated into the team.

The 30-year-old is currently in training with the rest of the first-team squad ahead of the new season, but did not make the travelling matchday squad for the FA Community Shield meeting with Manchester United last weekend.