Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued an apology to Kalvin Phillips after publicly criticising the midfielder for being “overweight” upon his return from the World Cup.
Guardiola’s comments came in December 2022, following Manchester City’s first game after the World Cup break, a 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. He expressed dissatisfaction with Phillips’ fitness, stating that he was “overweight” and “not in the right condition to train.”
Phillips, a 28-year-old England international, revealed in an interview with The Guardian this month that he found Guardiola’s criticism difficult to accept.
“After the World Cup was probably the toughest, when Pep came out and said I was overweight. He was right to do so but there are different ways to go about it,” he said.
“I did not disagree with him but obviously I took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City. And my family was not happy about it, either. Especially my mom.”
Phillips added, “It was just a misunderstanding and I think he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my weight target.”
Guardiola has since responded to Phillips’ recent comments in his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Brentford.
After being confronted on the subject, he said: “Yeah, I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him. I do apologise. I’m so sorry.”