Phillips in line for his first City start

KALVIN PHILLIPS is in line to make a full Manchester City debut seven months after his £42million summer move. Phillips came off the bench in the two victories against Chelsea last week after Pep Guardiola had criticised the 27-year-old’s fitness before Christmas, saying he had returned from the World Cup ‘overweight’. But the City boss has been impressed by Phillips’ attitude since the rebuke and believes a corner has been turned. The City manager has not decided on his team to face Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final tomorrow night but is considering resting Rodri. The Spaniard has missed two matches all season and played all but four minutes of City’s games since the World Cup. Phillips has made six substitute appearances this season, totalling 89 minutes. He suffered a dislocated shoulder in September and required an operation after a recurrence, meaning most of his time at the club has been spent on the treatment table. ‘Rodri cannot play all the minutes. We need Kalvin, like we need all the players,’ Guardiola said. ‘I had a feeling last week, he is back, a good feeling.’