Guardiola apologizes to Kalvin Phillips for ‘overweight’ comment

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has issued an apology to Kalvin Phillips after remarking that the midfielder appeared to be ‘overweight’ upon his return from the Qatar World Cup.

In December 2022, Guardiola made these remarks when discussing Phillips’ absence from the squad for a Carabao Cup fourth-round match against Liverpool.

Phillips recently described the comments as “a significant blow to my confidence” when questioned about them earlier this month.

“I’m sorry,” said Guardiola. “I do apologise to him. I’m so sorry.”

Guardiola said he spoke to the 28-year-old, who joined West Ham on loan last month, about the issue when he returned from a short break immediately after the World Cup.

“I did speak about that,” added the City boss. “I never before said something here [to the media] without speaking to the player.”

Phillips has faced challenges since joining West Ham on loan.

In his debut match at the London Stadium on February 1st, the former Leeds midfielder inadvertently allowed Bournemouth to score with his initial touch, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Shortly after, in a 3-0 loss to Manchester United, he was at fault for conceding another goal. His struggles continued when he received two yellow cards within three minutes during Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest, leading to his dismissal as the Hammers suffered a 2-0 defeat.