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Kalvin Phillips made a surprise return to action for Manchester City in the Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town last month, but it hasn't earned him a start at Swansea City on Wednesday night. The midfielder, who has spent most of the last two years out on loan, has struggled to adapt to life at City since signing in 2022 to provide competition for Rodri. He was given seven minutes off the bench in Yorkshire as City won 2-0. The 29-year-old was expected to leave in the summer only for Achilles surgery to end any possibility of an exit. Phillips is training with the first team and has been included in City's Premier League squad, but even amid injuries to Rodri, Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, the former Leeds United man has not figured in Pep Guardiola's thinking. Phillips could be involved at Swansea as City seek a place in the Carabao Cup quarter finals but Guardiola has confirmed he won't be in the starting XI. "For a start no but maybe he will travel with us," said the City boss. "He is a player for the team, the squad. He is coming back, he trains with us, we treat him like another player. The decision of whether he plays or not belongs to me. "He is always an unbelievable guy. It is a joy to have him in the locker room." Despite personal praise from his manager, Phillips is unlikely to get any meaningful game time at the Etihad this season given the most likely avenue is the Carabao Cup and his opportunities are set to be limited in that competition based on the early signs and his manager's thinking. City could facilitate a January exit for the England international should interest arise. He remains a popular member around the club and is under contract until 2028. --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
