West Ham United: Robbie Savage shares Kalvin Phillips England verdict live on air
Robbie Savage has called for Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to earn an England call-up ahead of Kalvin Phillips after his recent performances for West Ham.
Phillips was sent off for picking up two yellow cards in the 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 17 February, leading to widespread criticism of the early stages of his career at the London Stadium.
Mainoo, meanwhile, has stepped into a starting role at Old Trafford and become one of Man United’s most impressive performers during a turbulent season under Erik ten Hag.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live [18 February, 19:51], Savage shared: “I think as it stands, on current form, Kalvin Phillips is not doing great. He was sent off yesterday. So right now, Kobbie Mainoo for me, when the squad is announced, when you look at it, he should be in it.
“On performances, if you’re taking players on performances, Kobbie Mainoo should be in the squad.”
Will Kavlin Phillips make the England squad after his West Ham performances?
One reason behind Phillips’ move to the London Stadium was to play regularly with the European Championships coming up at the end of the season, but given the way he has performed so far, that dream looks further away than ever before.
A red card against Nottingham Forest earned him widespread condemnation, with pundits criticising the move, after he also made some crucial mistakes in both of his opening two games at West Ham.
Mainoo, meanwhile, has the likes of Gary Lineker and Ian Wright tipping him for an England call-up, with the Hammers man seemingly falling further down the pecking order despite Garth Southgate’s fondness.
This is not the first time Phillips has been criticised since his move to East London either, with Chris Sutton hitting out at him after it was reported that he was overweight while at Manchester City.
The Manchester City loanee will need to step up his recent performances if he wants to earn a seat on the plane for the Euros at the end of the season, with competition stepping up.
In other West Ham news, sources have refused to answer a new Tim Steidten question.
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