Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna praises Kalvin Phillips' 'humility'

When Kalvin Phillips joined Ipswich Town, the overriding feeling of excitement was accompanied by a little bit of trepidation from supporters, and understandably so.

The Manchester City loanee has had an impressive career so far, rising through the ranks with boyhood club Leeds United to help them secure promotion and then safety in the Premier League before making a big money switch to Manchester City.

Despite being named as England Men’s Player of the Year for 2021/22 and lifting a variety of different titles with the Cityzens, fitness issues and a lack of game time saw his career stall. A disastrous loan spell at West Ham did little to change that.

A move to Portman Road felt like a big chance to get his career back on track, and playing the full 90 minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion will go a long way towards getting him to that point, having last completed an entire game in May 2023.

“It’s a big positive and I think he looks stronger for it, to be fair,” manager Kieran McKenna said after the match.

Phillips made his Premier League debut for Ipswich Town against Fulham (Image: Ross Halls)

“He played maybe 70 [minutes] against Fulham and has trained well over the international break. I thought he actually got stronger as the second half went on.

“You can see he’s a competitor. When the game was tough, when showing physicality and a strong mentality was needed, he thrives in that situation. He really stepped up to it.

“It’s positive for him.”

Bringing in a player of Phillips’ profile was always going to be seen as a risk, as well as a major coup. The squad is predominantly made up of players who featured in League One or were signed from the Championship, but he bucks that trend. Phillips is one of only two players in the group to have featured in the Champions League and is the only man to have lifted it.

But McKenna has been quick to point out the positives of his profile, something which has helped him settle into life in Suffolk quite quickly. The 28-year-old had a shaky debut against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup but showed a huge improvement just a few days later against Fulham. His performance against Brighton was arguably even better.

The midfielder is continuing to build up his fitness at Portman Road (Image: Ross Halls)

The Town boss is optimistic that supporters will see more from Phillips in the coming weeks and months, with his strong work ethic giving him a platform to keep improving.

“He’s working really well,” McKenna added. “I think you can see that in his performances and the humility that he has.

“He’s very much part of the group. He’s a humble character, he’s a hard-working character.

“As I said when he arrived, he’s followed a very similar pathway to a lot of our players. He’s climbed a mountain, he’s done terrific in his career.

“He went from being a player who played in the Championship for four, five, six seasons, whatever he did, to being part of a newly-promoted team that went to the Premier League, attacked the Premier League, and did fantastic in that division.

“He then got a move to the best club side in the world at the moment and earned international honours.

“He’s done terrific in his career but comes from humble origins. He knows what it means to be part of a group and to fight. That’s part of the reason why we brought him in.

Phillips has lifted numerous trophies in his time at Manchester City (Image: PA)

“I think people who are hungry and willing to be part of a group is pretty much top of our checklist, particularly going into this season with the type of challenge that we’re going to have.

“He very much fits that bill and he’s getting fitter week by week. I’m sure he’s got some improvement still to come.

“He showed a really good battling performance that he enjoyed and we’re looking forward to working with him again.”