Former Premier League star Kevin-Prince Boateng has criticised the decision to bring Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City for an initial fee of £42 million.

He said that Phillips should have ‘never’ signed for the Sky Blues, citing that the move was ‘too early’ for the 27-year-old midfielder.

Nevertheless, he praised Phillips’ natural talents, stating that he was his ‘favourite player’ during Euro 2020 while playing for England.

During his playing career, Boateng enjoyed stints at Premier League outfits such as Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth – he also played for Barcelona in La Liga and AC Milan in Serie A over the course of his time as a player.

What did Kevin-Prince Boateng say regarding Kalvin Phillips?

Speaking on FIVE’s official YouTube channel, Boateng said: “Kalvin Phillips, when was it, the Euros [Euro 2020]? Where he played unbelievable, I rated him, I was like, ‘this guy, wow!’ But I think the Man City move was too quick, too early for him. He should’ve gone to another club, get time, play every game because he was unbelievable.”

“He was my favourite player. I was an expert on German TV, I said, ‘wow!’ For me, the Player of the Tournament. And I hit him up on Instagram and I said, ‘bro, keep striving, keep going’ and he was like, ‘thank you, brother.'”

“And I thought he’s going to go [gestures towards the sky] but it was too early. Decisions. You go [to Manchester City], there’s [Kevin] De Bruyne, Rodri…”

Should Kalvin Phillips leave Manchester City?

Ever since Phillips joined City in the summer of 2022, it has become increasingly clear that the England international has no place in Pep Guardiola’s squad.

He is never going to get in the team ahead of a world class superstar such as Rodri – it has also become evident that Guardiola prefers Mateo Kovacic in the holding role over Phillips.

As such, the former Leeds United man needs to leave City as soon as he can, for the good of his career. As things stand, he is wasting away – his stock drops every day while he remains at a club that clearly has no plans for him.