West Ham United: Danny Murphy delivers ‘problem’ verdict on Kalvin Phillips amid England call-up
Danny Murphy has speculated live on air about West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ hopes of being called up to the England squad ahead of Euro 2024.
The 28-year-old joined the Hammers on loan from Manchester City during the January transfer window to in the hope of gaining some all-important game time before the tournament in Germany.
However, his performances at the London Stadium have only exacerbated Phillips’ issues, with a series of errors and under-par performances seeing him in and out of the team.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Wednesday (13 March, 11:46am), Murphy said: “He’s made it worse. In the minutes he has played, he’s looked below what we have come to expect of him.
“I still think he’ll go because we know Gareth [Southgate] has a fondness for him due to what he has done for England previously. Speaking to one or two people who are around that situation, it sounds to me that he’ll go either way.
“He’s been brought off at half-time twice, most recently against Burnley, and has had a couple of mistakes and a sending off. It couldn’t have gone worse for him, really.
“But he’s still got an opportunity in the last nine, 10, 11 games of the season. I’m not sure he can play in Europe but he’ll get game time. I think he’ll go, no matter what happens between now and the end of the season.
“I don’t agree with that. If he’s not playing for West Ham, that’s a problem for me.”
Can Kalvin Phillips turn his fortunes around with West Ham United?
The former Leeds star’s downfall has been an upsetting one to watch, having impressed so much during his time at Elland Road, especially under Marcelo Bielsa.
Switching from life in West Yorkshire to the Premier League champions has clearly knocked his confidence off a cliff, which is understandable after Pep Guardiola called him out to the media at the start of the season.
The frustrations over his performances are understandable, with some fans crying out for his six-month loan deal to be cut short by the club.
Despite this, there is still plenty of time for Phillips to turn his form around at the London Stadium. Everyone who has watched the midfielder play before knows that there is a decent footballer inside, one that earned a move to Man City in 2022.
With Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez the preferred midfield duo in David Moyes’ squad, it will be difficult for the 28-year-old to break into the starting XI, but he will be doing everything in his power to do so.
In other West Ham news, Gabby Agbonlahor made a “100 per cent” claim regarding the club’s fanbase.
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