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Perhaps it was the most successful unsuccessful season ever. Kalvin Phillips has ended his first year at Manchester City with a historic haul of medals. Yet his three trophies outnumbered his two league starts. In all competitions, he only began four games, City lost two of them and the first of those defeats – to Nathan Jones’ Southampton – ended up costing them the quadruple. A year like no other at least ended on a personal high, Phillips scoring his first England goal in the 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia. Then he reflected: “I came to Manchester City to win trophies and we won the trophies but I didn’t play as much as I wanted to do.” If the last part is an understatement, it has only stiffened his resolve. Phillips is adamant he does not want to quit City. To walk away now, he believes, would be to admit defeat. He could attract interest – maybe from Newcastle or West Ham – but he hopes to sit out the summer transfer market. “My intention is to stay there,” he said. “We have just won the treble, so there is no reason for me to leave other than if I am not playing. I will obviously have to think about it. I cannot give it 12 months and say, ‘I am not playing so I am going to leave’. As you have seen with many players at City, it can take quite a while to cement yourself into the team.” The decision is not just his. Pep Guardiola made it public that Phillips came back from the World Cup overweight. While the former Leeds man was understudying one of the world’s best defensive midfielders, in Rodri, it was damning that Guardiola also preferred Ilkay Gundogan in the holding role. Some of Phillips’ cameos were so brief – his last four substitute appearances in the Premier League lasted a grand total of 17 minutes – to suggest he was not trusted. City’s £42 million outlay to Leeds bought them an expensive fringe player. “I will definitely speak to Pep,” Phillips said. “I don’t know whether it will be in the summer because everyone enjoys their downtime and everyone wants their space away from football so I’ll probably leave it until I go back for pre-season.” Guardiola can exile some players but persevere with others. City have their own version of second-season syndrome, where players improve after a year to get used to his methods and tactics. Rodri is a case in point; so are Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish. Nathan Ake’s breakthrough year was his third. Phillips has been consulting some of those who did not enjoy an immediate impact. “I just know how difficult it is to understand the way Pep wants to play and how quickly you need to adapt to play in his system,” he said. “I spoke to quite a few of the players about it. Nathan Ake being one, Jack [another]. They all said the same, they all said the first 12 months were the hardest of their City careers but after that it… it doesn’t become easy, but easier.” A fundamental difference is that, without necessarily flourishing, Phillips’ predecessors featured far more in their debut campaigns than he has; each commanded more of their manager’s faith. Guardiola’s history as a holding midfielder adds intrigue: there are some he feels are naturals for his demands – like Sergio Busquets and Philipp Lahm – and others, such as Rodri, who are grooved into the role. Phillips’ time under Marcelo Bielsa, one of Guardiola’s managerial heroes, was expected to stand him in good stead. Instead, he has required another vast learning curve. “I am on the brink of almost getting it,” he said. “Obviously there is a little bit of work in pre-season and hopefully [I will] be alright.” His has been an ill-fated first year in one respect – sidelined at the end of his Leeds career with a hamstring problem, then requiring shoulder surgery when he went to City – and a fortunate one in another, with three medals from minimal contributions. If staying at City comes with some risks, particularly to his place in Gareth Southgate’s plans, leaving may seem like giving up. A player who worked his way up from being a Championship midfielder to one bought by Pep Guardiola has made his decision. “I’m just going to go away for the off-season and enjoy myself with my family and girlfriend and friends,” he said. “And then come back fighting.” Read More The no-impact substitute: Kalvin Phillips’ ongoing humiliation gives Man City a problem Pep Guardiola: It’s up to Kalvin Phillips to show he deserves a Man City future Man City’s Premier League coronation shows how far their rivals have fallen

By Jacqueline Thomsen Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to

Dr. Dre will need to make room in his trophy case for another prestigious award

House and Senate Republicans have been quick to criticize the plea deal between the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden, arguing Tuesday that the charges brought against President Joe Biden's son exemplify what they describe as the weaponization of the DOJ.

USMNT interim head coach B.J Callaghan praised Gio Reyna after having back-to-back impressive performances that helped the U.S. to their second consecutive Nations League title.

Sarah Jessica Parker sounds excited about Kim Cattrall's return to the "Sex and the City" franchise in a cameo she described as "sentimental."

The 2023 NBA Draft is drawing closer and we are still looking for clarity around the No. 2 overall pick, currently held by the Charlotte Hornets.Oddsmakers shifted odds in a big way on Monday night into Tuesday morning, installing guard Scoot Henderson as the heavy favorite to be selected second...

The early-morning fire at an e-bike store in lower Manhattan that left four dead was caused by lithium-ion batteries, the city's fire commissioner said Tuesday.

Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, will plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes and enter an agreement

Actress Emma Watson has stunned fans who joke she has made them “pregnant” after sharing a swimsuit photo. The 33-year-old shared a series of images on Instagram with her 72 million followers showing her enjoying the ocean and surfing. In one image, Watson could be on the beach seen wearing a long-sleeved black swimsuit with cut-outs at the waist and jewels accessorizing the area. In the image, she tagged the Instagram account for Prada Beauty. Watson also wore multiple necklaces and bracelets and balanced a yellow surfboard on her head while looking off into the distance. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter On Instagram, she captioned the image, which has been liked almost 2 million times, with surfing and wave emojis. The post drew over 4,000 comments from some of the star's fans who were clearly left mesmerised by the image. One of them joked: “I saw this photo and now I'm pregnant.” Someone else commented: “Look at this woman, she is so pretty!! OMG.” “EMMA IN HER ACTIVE ERA IS THE BEST THING EVER,” another said. Another image in the Prada Beauty campaign showed Watson on the surfboard in the water, this time wearing a different black swimsuit. “Holy moly…How can someone become more and more divine?” asked a fan. Last year, Prada Beauty announced Watson as a brand ambassador, writing: “Muse is more than just a muse. More than just a face. More than the perfect embodiment of the Prada woman. “[Watson is] the epitome of female modernity, a celebration of female multi-dimensionality across the world.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Today in the NBA rumor mill, LeBron and Draymond are vacationing together, the Heat want Damian Lillard and the Thunder could sign the EuroLeague MVP.NBA rumors: Lebron and Draymond hanging out in FranceAccording to images making the rounds on social media, LeBron James and Draymond Green have b...

There's still a little bit of time to play in The Finals Closed Beta before it goes dark, maybe for several months.