Pep Guardiola issues apology to Kalvin Phillips for remarks about weight

Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Apologizes to Kalvin Phillips for Weight Remark

In a surprising turn of events, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued an apology to Kalvin Phillips for labeling the midfielder as “overweight” following his return from the Qatar World Cup. The controversial comments were made in December 2022 when Guardiola justified Phillips’ exclusion from the squad for a Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool.

The remarks had a significant impact on Phillips, who admitted they dealt a severe blow to his confidence. Guardiola expressed remorse, stating, “I’m sorry… I do apologise to him. I’m so sorry.” The City boss revealed that he personally spoke with the 28-year-old after his brief post-World Cup break and clarified that he never discusses such matters publicly without first addressing them with the player involved.

Since then, Phillips has faced challenges during his loan spell at West Ham. His debut saw him gifting Bournemouth a goal within moments of coming on, followed by errors leading to goals in subsequent matches against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest where he was also shown a red card for two quick bookings.