West Ham United: Paul Merson feels sorry for Kalvin Phillips, tips him to miss out on England squad
Paul Merson has admitted that he feels sorry for Kalvin Phillips after his struggles since joining West Ham on loan from Manchester City.
The England international joined the club in January for the rest of the season but has struggled to nail down a place in the team, and clashed with fans after the 4-3 defeat to Newcastle at the weekend.
And while speaking to Sportskeeda (1 April), Merson admitted that he now sees no way that Phillips gets on the plane for Gareth Southgate and the European Championships this summer after his struggles and the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United.
“Kalvin Phillips could’ve stayed and Man City, and he would’ve gone to the Euros,” he said.
“I don’t see him at the tournament at all now, with Mainoo coming through as well. He’s gone out on loan and he isn’t able to get a game – I do feel sorry for him.”
West Ham United not to blame for Kalvin Phillips’ problems
Phillips was a complete outsider at Manchester City over the last 18 months since he signed from Leeds United, and the move to the London Stadium was supposed to reinvigorate his career.
Instead though, Phillips has come into David Moyes’ team and struggled to make any sort of positive impact and essentially cost himself a chance at playing for England this summer.
Moyes’ team haven’t suffered too badly in terms of results and when Phillips isn’t on the pitch they’ve been okay, so it’s clear that the issue is with the player rather than the team.
While it’s not outrageous to feel sorry for him considering his standing before the move to City and where he stands now, he has nobody to blame but himself.
West Ham have to do what is best for them, especially at this stage of the season, and if that means Phillips doesn’t play then so be it.
In other West Ham news, a former Premier League referee was stunned after a controversial moment against Newcastle.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.