Phillips, who played a significant role in helping England reach the final of Euro 2020, was described as being “overweight” by City boss Guardiola following his return from the 2022 World Cup.
Guardiola issued an apology to Phillips two years later, saying: “Yeah, I’m sorry. [A mistake] once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him.
“I spoke to him before [making the comment]. I never, ever don’t speak to the team before I say something here, or the player in that case.”
Phillips later admitted the Catalan’s comments were tough to take, saying in 2023: “For me, I wasn't overweight, but obviously the manager has seen it in a very different way. I just took it and did my best to get as fit as possible.
“It was a little hard to take just because of how much it was oversized and how many people started talking about it. I was on the bench for the Leeds game straight after that and I was fit every match since then.
“It was just one of those things, it was a misunderstanding from me and some staff members.”