West Ham United: BBC Sport journalist singles out Kalvin Phillips in ‘nightmare’ England claim
West Ham United loanee Kalvin Phillips is the one “particularly significant exclusion” in the latest England squad.
That is according to BBC Sport journalist Phil McNulty, with Phillips dropped by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
England meet Brazil and Belgium in international friendlies later this month ahead of their participation at Euro 2024 this summer.
“England’s squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley is notable both for eye-catching inclusions and one particularly significant exclusion,” McNulty wrote for BBC Sport.
“Manager Gareth Southgate has now accepted there are no grounds to continue selecting Kalvin Phillips after a show of loyalty that stretched way beyond what the midfielder, a regular squad presence throughout recent years, was producing at club level.
“Phillips was on the margins at Manchester City while a January loan move to West Ham United, designed to re-ignite his career and give him game time to press his claims for Euro 2024, has been a nightmare.”
Will West Ham man Kalvin Phillips make the England 2024 squad?
The snub from Southgate will come as a blow to Phillips, but not necessarily as a surprise given his form lately.
The midfielder has been out of form for some time, having lost his way following a big-money move from Leeds United to Manchester City.
With the long list of talented and versatile players at the Etihad, a switch to Manchester was always going to be a big risk from Phillips.
And it is one that has backfired, with the midfielder largely overlooked by Pep Guardiola, resulting in a January switch to the London Stadium.
Hammers manager David Moyes has been the player chances, but he has failed to impress, often making mistakes in claret and blue.
Phillips now has a mountain to climb when trying to make it back into Southgate’s thoughts, with time rapidly running out to impress the manager ahead of Euro 2024.
But given the expected presence of the likes of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in midfield, Southgate has perhaps already made his mind up on Phillips.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports journalist has made an international prediction on one London Stadium star ahead of the upcoming break.
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