Kalvin Phillips opens up on Sheffield United motivation, Manchester City frustration as season target shared
Kalvin Phillips has enjoyed an encouraging return to Sheffield United after a difficult spell at Manchester City, and spoke to The Star’s Danny Hall about the personal targets he is determined to achieve this season at Bramall Lane...
Kalvin Phillips returned to Sheffield United in the summer with nothing to prove to anyone other than himself, as he looks to go through the rest of the season injury-free and get his career back on track.
The former England international came back to Bramall Lane after an injury-hit spell last term, which saw him feature just three times. But his performances since have shown why Chris Wilder was so keen to bring him back and, on his day, there can be few better midfielders in the Championship.
Phillips’ influence saw him pick up United’s player of the month award for October and after returning to the United side at Charlton on Saturday after a slight ankle issue, he and his teammates enjoyed some rest this week before returning to Shirecliffe.
There were undoubtedly question marks about Phillips’ future before he left Manchester City on another loan deal in the summer, with the 30-year-old making just over 30 appearances for City since his £42.5m move from Leeds back in 2022.
But he insists he doesn’t feel the weight of that, with regular football the only thing on his mind after a stop-start spell in his career. “I don't feel like I have to prove anything,” he insisted.
“I feel like I've been, or was - and still am - a very good player. I know myself. I know that when I'm in the best shape possible, I can be a really good player, and it's just finding that balance of being able to play as many games as I possibly can, but also staying fit throughout the full season.
“I don't think I've got much to prove other than what I want to prove to myself. That I can play as many games as possible, but also go through the rest of the season injury-free.”
No player wants to be injured but Phillips’ City frustration has at least offered him a sense of perspective. “Every player that is on a football team wants to play as much as possible,” he added.
“And when you don't get that chance at the end of the week, you can possibly get frustrated. But I kind of understood certain aspects of why I wasn't playing [at City], and things that I needed to do better.
“I needed to do a lot of things better, and injuries didn't help me either. I was always at the stage of being really fit, but then when a certain game came where I could be involved, I'd pick up a little niggle like a week before or something like that,
“When I was younger and I got injured, it would kind of be the end of the world. It would be very emotional. I feel like now I take care of my body a lot more, probably a lot more now as I'm getting older.
“But I feel like when I get injured, I know that it's not the end of the world. I know that I'm going to feel better after a certain amount of time, and I've just got to trust the process.”