Kalvin Phillips, a Manchester City loanee, played his first full game for Ipswich Town last weekend.
Manager Kieran McKenna has been talking about how the midfielder is settling in.
When Kalvin Phillips joined Ipswich Town, there was a lot of excitement mixed with some fear among supporters, which is understandable.
The Manchester City loanee has had a great career thus far, climbing through the ranks at his hometown club Leeds United to help them gain promotion and then safety in the Premier League before making the big money move to Manchester City.
Despite being voted England Men’s Player of the Year in 2021/22 and winning a number of trophies with the Cityzens, fitness difficulties and a lack of game time caused his career to halt. A catastrophic loan spell with West Ham did little to improve that.
A transfer to Portman Road felt like a significant chance to get his career back on track, and completing the full 90 minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion will help him get there, as he hasn’t played an entire game since May 2023.
“It’s a big positive, and I think he looks stronger for it, to be fair,” manager Kieran McKenna remarked following the game.
“He played about 70 minutes against Fulham and has trained well during the international break.” I think he got stronger as the second half progressed.
“You can see he is a competitor. He thrives in stressful situations where physicality and mental toughness are required. He really stepped up.
“It’s positive for him.”
Bringing in a guy with Phillips’ profile was always going to be viewed as both a gamble and a significant coup. The squad is primarily made up of League One players or Championship signings, but he deviates from the norm. Phillips is one of only two players in the group to have played in the Champions League and the only one to have won it.
But McKenna has been eager to stress out the benefits of his profile, which has helped him adjust into life in Suffolk swiftly. The 28-year-old made a poor Carabao Cup debut against AFC Wimbledon, but improved dramatically just a few days later against Fulham. His performance versus Brighton was probably even better.
The Town manager is certain that supporters will see more of Phillips in the coming weeks and months, with his great work ethic providing a platform for him to continue improving.
“He’s working really well,” McKenna remarked. “I believe you can see that in his performances and his humility.
“He is very much a part of the gang. He’s a humble, hardworking character.
“As I mentioned when he arrived, he’s taken a similar road to many of our guys. He has scaled a mountain and achieved great success in his career.
“He moved from being a player that played in the Championship for four, five, or six seasons, whatever he did, to being a member of a newly promoted club that went to the Premier League, attacked it, and performed admirably in that league.
“He subsequently moved to the world’s top club team at the time and garnered international recognition.
“He has achieved great success in his career despite coming from low beginnings. He understands what it is to be part of a group and fight. That’s one of the reasons we brought him in.
“I believe that people who are eager and willing to be a part of a group are at the top of our priority list, especially as we approach this season and the type of challenge that we will face.
“He definitely fits the description, and he’s growing fitter by the week. I’m confident that he’ll continue to progress.
“He showed a really good battling performance that he enjoyed and we’re looking forward to working with him again.”