There was "never any chance" Man City new boy Kalvin Phillips would join Man Utd
New Manchester City signing Kalvin Phillips has revealed that there was ‘never any chance’ that he would head to rivals Manchester United due to his loyalties with Leeds United.
The England international made a £45million move from Elland Road to the Etihad Stadium this summer, becoming Pep Guardiola’s third signing of the window. However, City weren’t alone in their interest in the 26-year-old.
The Red Devils were also reportedly keeping tabs on Phillips and keen to solve their midfield crisis by securing his signature. But the move was never on the cards, according to the player. He told The Mirror: “Going to United? No, there was never any chance of me going there.
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“You know my loyalty to Leeds. My family as well – they're all Leeds fans. I was honoured that United wanted me, such a big team and one of the biggest teams in the world.
“But no, I had to stay loyal to Leeds and choose to go to the other side of Manchester. It's just the way I am, the way I think and the way I'll always be.
“I want to be loyal to the people who've given me the biggest opportunity in the world. Leeds were the first team to sign me, I made sure that was one of the main things I'd do.”
With Phillips’ loyalty remaining with Leeds, the midfielder will be hoping to rub salt into the wounds of United by winning the Premier League with City next season. Last season’s title winners have recruited well this summer, granting Guardiola his wish of a striker by acquiring the services of Erling Haaland.
Like Phillips, the Norwegian also has routes at Elland Road. Phillips explained: “It’s been nice to see Erling and speak to him about Leeds and where I'm from and where he was born. He's a big fan of Leeds, so he tells me. But I don't know if he’s more Leeds than City though.”
United still haven’t managed to secure the signature of an alternative to Phillips just yet, with their pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong continuing to drag on due to the player being unwilling to leave the Camp Nou. The club have acquired the services of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax who has been deployed in midfield previously, though he is believed to have purchased to fix their leaky defence.
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