£42m Newcastle target told he really needs to play more often

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The England squad always throws up a huge amount of debate.

These days, Newcastle United are well-represented amongst the Three Lions ranks.

Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson have been a fixture in recent England squads, while Nick Pope has generally been involved under Gareth Southgate.

Still, given the scrutiny that goes with the England manager’s job, selections and choices are always the subject of much debate.

Indeed, Harry Maguire’s inclusion continues to split opinion, while Kalvin Phillips is another frequently discussed.

The £42m Manchester City midfielder continues to sit on the periphery of Pep Guardiola’s first-team amid January links with a move to Newcastle.

Now, Southgate has spoken.

Gareth Southgate tells Kalvin Phillips he needs to play more often

Phillips, who has been handed only six minutes of Premier League action this season, started for England against Scotland on Tuesday night at Hampden Park.

Though Southgate explained his reasoning – mainly centring around the idea that England do not have another player like him – he also stressed Phillips needed to play more often at club level.

“He needs to play and is a really important player for us, we don’t have many players who can operate the way he can, we have faith and trust in him, of course people talk about his lack of minutes but Scotland have it with Scott McTominay and we don’t have an ideal situation,” he said (via the Daily Mail).

That perhaps sums up why Newcastle are considering Phillips

Southgate’s assertion that England don’t have a player like Phillips perhaps sums up why Newcastle are reportedly keen.

Indeed, there aren’t a huge amount of No.6s available on the market. Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo went for British record sums this summer, underlining just how in-demand that position is at the moment.

With Newcastle reportedly considering bringing that type of player in, Phillips is a logical target, even if his City move hasn’t gone to plan. There isn’t a great amount of other options around as things stand, it would seem.

He may not have enhanced his reputation at City but Phillips could plug what increasingly looks like a specialist gap for Newcastle.