Phillips arrived in east London amidst plenty of fanfare but is yet to make much of an impact.

West Ham United: Chris Sutton destroys 'unacceptable' Kalvin Phillips amid Pep Guardiola debate

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Published on:

13 Feb 2024, 7:40 am

Chris Sutton has slammed West Ham loanee Kalvin Phillips after he admitted he was overweight when he returned to Manchester City in reaction to Pep Guardiola calling him out.

The new Hammers arrival admitted that he faced the toughest test of his career at Man City after Guardiola's comments, but Sutton has suggested he should not have been in that situation.

Sutton insisted it is unacceptable for a professional athlete to be overweight to begin with, so while the comments may have been harsh, they were correct.

Taking to X on 13 February, Sutton shared: "Kalvin Phillips was honest in his recent interview about the effect Pep’s words had on him after saying he was overweight…

"But maybe the bigger issue should have been the fact that it’s unacceptable for him as a professional athlete to have been overweight in the first place…"

Kalvin Phillips will recover West Ham form

Despite the well-documented issues the midfielder faced while at Manchester City, all of them should be put aside during his spell at the London Stadium, as he looks to recover his form under David Moyes' management.

Bare in mind, Phillips remains an England international and a regular in Gareth Southgate's squad, the talent is certainly there, and despite a difficult start to his career with the Hammers, he is still getting used to the change.

Sutton's criticism is neither relevant nor will it make a difference, even if he is correct. Professional footballers shouldn't be overweight and out of shape, but that was in the past, it has happened, and he has acknowledged the mistakes he made, so move on.

Kalvin Phillips was honest in his recent interview about the effect Pep’s words had on him after saying he was overweight…but maybe the bigger issue should have been the fact that’s it’s unacceptable for him as a professional athlete to have been overweight in the first place… https://t.co/tw5PyqYP8T
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) February 13, 2024

Phillips should get his head down and focus on his career at West Ham for the short period he is playing under Moyes, and he should be allowed to remain focused on the task at hand rather than things that happened prior to his arrival.

In other West Ham news, Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the Moyes debate.

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