Chris Wilder says Sheffield United are ‘not reckless’ despite Kalvin Phillips’ red card in derby

In all, Sunday was Phillips’ 29th start in club football since he left his hometown club Leeds United in July 2022.

It quickly became clear that City manager Pep Guardiola did not believe he was at the level required, and his loan spells with the Hammers and Ipswich were largely disappointing.

It had been hoped that a return to La Liga, where he excelled under Marcelo Bielsa with the Whites, could kick-start his career, but he now faces a period of absence on the bench as he looks to build momentum.

Wilder said he felt the 30-year-old’s lack of competitive football played a role in the red card.

“Once things slow down, it looks very bad,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

“Sometimes when you haven’t played a lot of football lately, you can get it wrong.

“We are suffering, but he is suffering more because he was great, so his absence for three matches is disappointing.”

Despite this latest setback, Wilder praised the attitude shown by Phillips since joining on the transfer deadline day.

“He’s a humble kid,” he said.

“My first meeting with him, I thanked him for coming here and playing a role, and he thanked me and was in the other direction.

“This is the first time we’ve seen him a little depressed, but he’ll get over it and we’ll work on training him and he’ll be fine.”