- Kalvin Phillips has played just four games for Manchester City this season
- Players must make five appearances per season to ensure a winner’s medal
- The fact that Ederson was not substituted immediately after his collision was a SCANDAL – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Kalvin Phillips faces a difficult situation on Sunday regardless of what happens when Manchester City take on West Ham in the final game of the season.
Phillips has made just four appearances for Man City this season – all coming from the bench – and played just 89 minutes in what looks set to be a fourth straight title-winning campaign.
Premier League rules stipulate that players who make five appearances should be awarded a winners’ medal, with each club getting 40 to hand out.
City have 29 players with five or more appearances, regularly giving one to Scott Carson, so they have another ten to distribute among other team members and staff.
As such, Phillips could find himself in two different tricky positions: either he turns up at the Etihad with West Ham’s side and leaves to celebrate a title win, or he is overlooked by Pep Guardiola’s side for a medal and leaves empty-handed.
Kalvin Phillips could be in for a tricky afternoon in Manchester when the winners’ medals are handed out
Phillips has already won one Premier League medal during his nightmare spell at City
Phillips has made eight appearances for West Ham since arriving in January, but a red card in his fourth appearance saw his playing time curtailed.
In addition to the one-match suspension that followed, he was an unused substitute three times and was completely eliminated four more times.
If he does get a medal – which is far from certain – it would be his second in a row, despite only playing a small role.
He took one home last season despite only playing the full 90 minutes in two matches, earning 290 minutes from the Treble-winning Premier League campaign across twelve appearances.
Yet it is telling that his total number of minutes at West Ham in four months (306) is only 73 less than the amount of time he has been on the pitch for City in the league in a period of around eighteen months.
Only four players have won fewer minutes for City this season than Phillips, and three of them left the club in the summer, including Cole Palmer, who made one appearance before joining Chelsea.
Aymeric Laporte won 11 minutes before heading to the Saudi Pro League, while Sergio Gomez has 47 minutes.
Yet the Spanish full-back actually spread those minutes over six matches, meaning he should in fact receive a medal, bringing the total to 31 and further reducing Phillips’ chances of recognition should City beat West Ham.
Pep Guardiola’s side will have 40 winners’ medals to hand out to players and staff
Phillips has played just two full 90-minute games in the league for City in the last two seasons
Sheffield United loanee James McAtee also made one appearance before joining the Blades, who have already been relegated back to the Championship this season.
Phillips’ failure to make an impact since joining West Ham has led to him falling further and further away from the England squad, and as such he is an outsider who will make it this summer.