Kalvin Phillips sends Pep Guardiola important reminder as Man City face further injury trouble

The more times you say something without following through, the less credence the words carry.

Pep Guardiola obviously isn't going to throw one of his players under the bus but every time he says Kalvin Phillips has an important role to play at Manchester City, it gets harder to believe him. The Blues moved to sign Phillips last summer to replace Fernandinho and his career at the Etihad was immediately stunted by injuries.

But even when back to full fitness after the World Cup, playing time remained at an extreme premium. The exceptional Rodri and then the emergence of midfield maestro John Stones made his path into the team arduous, but Phillips didn't help his cause in his rare appearances.

The most notable example was the 3-1 win over Leicester in which the former Leeds man came on with City three goals up and in cruise control but things got shaky upon his introduction. Phillips lost his man as Leicester pulled one back and continued to be sloppy in possession as the Foxes had plenty of chances to pull off a remarkable comeback.

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Phillips wouldn't play for more than two minutes again until the Premier League was officially won, at which point he made his only two league starts for the club when there was nothing on the line. The trend has continued into this season with Phillips only playing six minutes in a single game so far, coming on as a late substitute with City 4-1 up against Fulham.

It seems pretty clear Guardiola doesn't trust Phillips to carry out his instructions on the pitch and the deadline-day signing of Matheus Nunes seemed to strike yet another nail into his coffin. His future at the Etihad looked bleak but Phillips admirably made