Manchester United have endured a terrible domestic and European campaign so far this season and, by most people's definition, currently find themselves in a crisis of sorts.
They are sat in sixth place in the Premier League after a shocking 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth and, thanks to some abysmal performances in Europe – especially from their new £47m goalkeeper – they are on the precipice of an early exit from the Champions League.
Erik ten Hag's side have found it difficult to score goals and even more challenging to avoid conceding them, as his midfield and defence have become increasingly fragile in recent months.
However, this problem could soon be eased as a player that could become Ten Hag's own Nemanja Matic and replace Scott McTominay has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, Kalvin Phillips.
Manchester United transfer news – Kalvin Phillips
According to The Sun, Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips is now 'at the top' of Manchester United's transfer wishlist for 2024.
The publication's sources have revealed that Ten Hag is a "big fan" of the former Leeds United captain and that when he is ready to leave City in a permanent deal, the United manager wants to be "right at the front of the queue" for his signature.
The 28-year-old's exit from the Etihad looks almost guaranteed, with him playing just 89 minutes of Premier League football for the club this season, and after Guardiola candidly admitted, "I struggle to see him" in his team plans.
A move between City and United will obviously be more complicated than if it were abroad or to a non-rival. Still, the Sun has reported that Guardiola would unlikely get in the way of a transfer if it was what Phillips wanted.
While there is no concrete information on how much this transfer may cost the Red Devils, it is unlikely City would let their player leave for less than the £45m they paid to sign him in 2022.
However, even at that price, it would be worth signing a player that Devils in the Detail co-host Aaron Moniz described as "streets ahead of McTominay."
How Kalvin Phillips compares to Matic & McTominay
United's move for Phillips would heavily mirror their signing of Matic from Chelsea in 2017 when the Red Devils signed a tough, defensively-minded and Premier League-proven midfielder from one of their closest rivals.
While the Serbian didn't win any silverware during his time at the club, he was still a reliable performer, and were Phillips to replicate his performances, Ten Hag would be able to rely upon his midfield far more than he currently does.
The Englishman would likely come in and immediately replace McTominay, as despite the Scotsman finding the back of the net more often than many thought he was capable of this season, he still isn't of the quality required to patrol a United midfield.
The "embarrassing" midfielder, as described by Alan Shearer, is often fairly anonymous during challenging games, and his goalscoring has papered over the severe shortcomings in his game, shortcomings that Phillips just doesn't have.
When comparing the two, you have to use the 2021/22 season for the City man, as that was his last year of regular football, and even when those numbers are compared to McTominay's current output – goals and all -there is one clear winner.
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
0.08
0.35
Progressive Carries
0.34
1.02
Progressive Passes
5.25
2.65
Shot-Creating Actions
1.69
0.72
Goal-Creating Actions
0.23
0.00
Tackles Won
1.41
1.02
Touches
67.1
41.8
Recoveries
10.2
4.59
Aerial Duels Won %
37.0%
30.0%
The only statistics in which McTominay outdoes his potential new teammate are, unsurprisingly, non-penalty expected goals + assists and progressive carries.
In every other important, defensive and midfield-focused metric, the "top" international, as described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, is streets ahead of the player he should come in and replace.
At the end of the day, United's Lancaster-born midfielder has improved his goalscoring this season. However, the lack of quality elsewhere in his game makes Phillips an obvious upgrade should the club be able to negotiate a deal.