Phillips sustained a shoulder injury shortly after moving to the Etihad Stadium and was ruled out for three months ahead of last year’s World Cup in Qatar. And since returning from the layoff he has been unable to nail down a regular starting place in the Citizens’ team.
According to talkSPORT, Phillips is on Liverpool’s shortlist for the January transfer window, with Newcastle, Tottenham and Fulham also in the mix to sign him. And Guardiola has suggested he would sanction the player’s prospective move to Anfield.
“Never. Never ever,” replied the Spaniard when asked if he would stop an unsettled player from joining a serious rival. “From my point of view, I have said this to the club many times. I give my opinion to the club and they decide if the transfer suits for both sides and the player.
“Why? I think that means you are a small club [if you block a transfer]. Big clubs, they don’t care. They make decisions for the benefit of all three parties – players and both clubs. And the agents sometimes. So really, it is not a problem.
“If they want to go to Chelsea or [Manchester] United or, I don’t know, Liverpool, whatever, what is the problem? They are happy to be there and the club is happy with the transfer. The other club is happy with the amount of money they spend, so it is fine. Another player will come to us and we keep going in a good spirit and a good mood.”
Phillips secured a mega-money transfer to the Etihad Stadium after starring for Leeds. The 27-year-old made 234 appearances for the Yorkshire giants and helped them win the Championship title under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020. He was also an influential figure during England’s run to the Euro 2020 final and featured twice at last year’s World Cup.
And with Euro 2024 approaching, Phillips has already spoken out about his desire to be playing football. “I know that I need to be playing games and competing every weekend,” he said last month. “I’m going to have to make a decision on [my future] over the next months. He (Gareth Southgate) just says that for me to keep my spot I have to be playing games.
“That’s what I want to do. I have agreed with Gareth on that. As a football player – especially me – I’m very competitive. But I want to play football. I’m a footballer, I want to play as much football as possible.”
