On Saturday against Nottingham Forest, Kalvin Phillips made his third appearance of the year as a substitute.

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has acknowledged that despite bringing in Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United, he has not been able to maximize his potential.

In the summer of 2022, Phillips transferred from the Elland Road team to City.

The 27-year-old will make his seventh appearance for City against Newcastle in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, despite having paid City £45 million for him.

“Marcelo [Bielsa] gave Kalvin the best of Kalvin in his career,” said Guardiola.

Under Bielsa’s leadership, Phillips—a legend at his local club—became an England international while Leeds was still in the Championship.

After returning to the Premier League, he went on to play a significant role in the team that finished ninth. He later started for England as they advanced to the Euro 2020 final.

“I wish I could have treated Kalvin the way Marcelo has treated him. While the former [Leeds playing style] was ideal [for him], we have our own distinct way to play, and [he] occasionally stumbles in a few areas.

Given that two of Phillips’ previous four starts came at the close of the previous campaign, after City had already won their third consecutive game, Phillips’ lack of participation is even more glaring.

Phillips, who declined the club’s offer to depart in the summer, now has the potential to contribute meaningfully under Guardiola since fellow holding midfielder Rodri is out for three matches after receiving a red card for aggressive behavior against Nottingham Forest.

Guardiola stated, “The club spoke with him since he didn’t have many minutes. “No, I want to stay,” he said.

“We chose Kalvin because of his talent. He has an open mind, a thirst for knowledge, and a desire to assist. This is what we intend to attempt.

We’re so late, the city can’t fly home

After experiencing problems getting there, Guardiola stated that City would be driving home from Newcastle on Wednesday night.

In the past, City has flown the 150 miles from Newcastle, but this week they are unable to due to engineering problems and aircraft availability.

Guardiola seems perplexed as to the justification for what would likely be a 3 am arrival following the first of four straight away matches.

Prior to journeys to RB Leipzig in the Champions League the next week and to Arsenal on October 8, City will play Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.

“I don’t know what happened,” Guardiola stated. “I was informed by the travel manager. We don’t have a plane to take us back, thus we can’t return by plane.

“We must board a bus. Although we arrive two or three hours later than expected, it’s not an issue.

Due to their negative environmental effects, Premier League clubs last season received criticism for using domestic flights.

In a two-month period this year, teams traveled on 81 short-haul domestic flights, some lasting as little as 27 minutes, to and from 100 matches, according to BBC Sport analysis.

Burning fuel during flights releases greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). These have an impact on global warming.

According to the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, short-haul flights are the worst emitters and have much higher emissions per kilometer than any other mode of transportation.