West Ham fans must remain patient with Kalvin Phillips amid David Moyes admission
Kalvin Phillips’ arrival at West Ham was met with plenty of fanfare after signing from Manchester City on a six-month loan deal.
However, it is safe to say that the 28-year-old has endured a torrid beginning to his Hammer career, despite only making one start so far.
The Manchester City loanee made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the London Stadium and was at the centre of criticism after his role in the away side’s opener.
Kurt Zouma’s poor pass to Phillips was pressured by Ryan Christie, with his attempted ball back to Alphonse Areola picked off by Dominic Solanke before slamming it home after three minutes.
The midfielder was subsequently left out of the starting XI by Moyes for West Ham’s trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. He would come on with just 18 minutes remaining and be dispossessed for Alejandro Garnacho’s second of the game.
Speaking in his post-match press conference on Sunday (4 February) after the 3-0 defeat, Moyes admitted: “We knew Kalvin Phillips would need a little bit of time.
“He got the best part of 70 minutes against Bournemouth and that will help him along. He’s a top player, an established England international, and there are no question marks about him as a player. It’s just a case of him needing a bit of game time and getting those opportunities to get back to his levels.”
Be patient, West Ham fans
It has been a dreadful start to his West Ham career for Phillips. With such high hopes for the player, and the full backing of the manager, it was hoped he would hit the ground running at London Stadium.
With his complete lack of minutes on the pitch since signing for Man City in the summer of 2022, it is unfair to expect Phillips to be back to his best that he showed during his years at Elland Road with Leeds United.
There is a player in there worth waiting for amid the frustrations of West Ham fans. His last start for Pep Guardiola was one of his best in a City shirt, as they fielded a weaker team against Red Star Belgrade for their final Champions League group stage match.
As well as scoring a penalty and conducting the play from midfield, Phillips maintained a 90 per cent pass accuracy, won 100 per cent of his tackles and 62 per cent of his ground duels, and made nine passes into the final third. [FotMob]
That is the Phillips that Hammers fans will witness if they stay patient with the player. He is lacking rhythm and form as it stands but, given time, he could provide quite the formidable barrier with Edson Alvarez in the heart of the Hammers’ engine room.
In other West Ham news, Moyes has shared an update on his contract situation at the London Stadium
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