Roy Keane reveals Kalvin Phillips concern and why West Ham ...

Roy Keane believes Kalvin Phillips will have been majorly disappointed to be dropped to the West Ham United bench after his first appearance for the club.

West Ham recently signed Phillips on loan from Manchester City for the second half of the season after he failed to start a single Premier League match since the summer for his parent club.

He immediately rectified the situation by starting the first game available to him after his move to West Ham, lasting 68 minutes in a 1-1 draw for Bournemouth, in which he was sold short for the goal they conceded.

Three days later, though, David Moyes put him on the bench for West Ham’s loss to Manchester United.

It took until the 72nd minute, when West Ham were already two goals down, for Phillips to come on.

And as soon as the team sheet was submitted, Sky Sports pundit Keane pointed out how it ought to have frustrated Phillips.

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“From the player’s point of view I think he’d be fuming,” Keane said.

“You go to get some games, he played 70 minutes, he’s a sitting midfielder, you use your intelligence there in terms of when to sprint and when to sit in.

“Obviously David Moyes will be worried about it in terms of picking up an injury quickly but from the player’s point of view, he has to get minutes under his belt, he has to get games.

“Remember he’s on loan from City, he’s going to Old Trafford and now he’s sitting on the bench.

“Obviously David Moyes is an experienced manager but I think from the player’s point of view, he’ll be fuming.”

No cause for alarm just yet for Phillips

West Ham’s starters in midfield instead of Phillips were Edson Alvarez, who joined in the summer from Ajax, Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse.

It serves as a reminder that while Phillips doesn’t have as many world-class players to compete with as he did at Man City, he is still just one cog of a fairly well-stocked department at West Ham, which has evolved smoothly enough after the summer sale of former captain – and Phillips’ England colleague – Declan Rice to Arsenal for a club-record fee.

West Ham are next in action against Rice’s Arsenal next Sunday.

If Phillips plays in it for more than three minutes, he will have more gametime under his belt for West Ham in the Premier League this season than Man City already, so his situation shouldn’t be too alarming and he will just have to get used to his new challenge.

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