- Phillips struggling at Man City
- Featured for England against Italy
- Admitted the need for more minutes after a 3-1 win
WHAT HAPPENED? The midfielder was handed a surprise start by Gareth Southgate in England's 3-1 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Italy, despite struggling for regular minutes under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, making just three substitute appearances for City in the Premier League so far this term.
However, Phillips admitted that he needs to play more if he is to keep his place in the England starting XI and revealed that he will be assessing his future in the next few months ahead of 2024.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I know that I need to be playing games and competing every weekend," he told reporters. "I'm going to have to make a decision on [my future] over the next months. He [Gareth Southgate] just says that for me to keep my spot I have to be playing games. That's what I want to do. I have agreed with Gareth on that."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: It has been reported that Bayern have set their sights on Phillips and could submit a January bid for the midfielder, who joined City in a £45 million ($55m) move in July 2022. Thomas Tuchel is believed to be an admirer of the midfielder and could push for a short-term loan dea.
City will likely let him leave if they get a decent offer as they were already willing to put him up for sale in the summer, but the player insisted on staying at the Etihad.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Phillips will return to Manchester City on the back of a successful international break with the hope of impressing Guardiola in training ahead of a Premier League encounter against Brighton on Saturday.