Joe Cole believes that England manager Gareth Southgate has sent a subtle message to Liverpool-linked midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The Reds have been linked with the Manchester City player at various intervals over the past few months, with the 27-year-old starting only once for the club in all competitions so far this season (WhoScored).
From being a core presence in the Three Lions team which almost won the European Championship in 2021, the Leeds native played for just six minutes during the current international break, an indicator that he’s also at risk of becoming a peripheral player for his country or possible even being axed from the squad.
Speaking on Channel 4 (7:28pm, 20 November 20) prior to last night’s game against North Macedonia, former Liverpool winger Cole said: “Kalvin Phillips not playing. Maybe that’s a message – ‘Kalvin, go and get some minutes somewhere’, because that’s his shirt next to Declan [Rice].”
Phillips’ club manager Pep Guardiola hasn’t dismissed the idea of selling players to Man City’s direct rivals, having previously done so with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer.
However, while Arsenal and Chelsea have posed competition for the treble winners in recent years, no team has done so to the same extent over a prolonged period of time as Liverpool, so the 52-year-old mightn’t be keen on allowing even the less regular members of his squad to move directly to Anfield.
From the Reds’ perspective, the ex-Leeds midfielder might be a prized coup for a few reasons – he’d help with the homegrown quota, he’s proven himself in the Premier League before with his hometown side and he could jump at the chance to feature more regularly elsewhere.
However, it’s a cause for concern that even when Rodri was suspended for three top-flight games earlier this season, and even with Southgate having licence to experiment this month with England already qualified for Euro 2024, Phillips has still been on the fringes at club and international level.
The 27-year-old may well be on the move in January if he wants to be assured of a seat on the plane to Germany next summer, but if he does leave the Etihad Stadium, it probably won’t be for Liverpool, in all likelihood.
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