Ex-Leeds United and Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips gives middle finger to fan as West Ham nightmare continues

Kalvin Phillips' nightmare season continued on Saturday evening with the midfielder appearing to swear at a West Ham United fan who called him 'useless'. Phillips endured another torrid afternoon as a second-half substitute during West Ham's 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United.

He came on in the 69th-minute with his side 3-1 up but was central to two of the three goals conceded inside the final 20 minutes. The 28-year-old conceded a penalty after being adjudged to have fouled Anthony Gordon - although the decision was a controversial one - before seeing Harvey Barnes easily bypass him to score the winning goal.

And it got worse after the full-time whistle when a video emerged of him appearing to give the middle finger to a fan. On his way to the team coach, Phillips was heckled by supporters, with one calling him 'useless'. And as the on-loan West Ham man walked on to the bus he appeared to swear at the individual.

“I thought an extra midfield player would give us a bit more control in the middle of the pitch at that time, but obviously it didn’t work," Hammers boss David Moyes said of Phillips' failed introduction. “At the time, I felt that they were slightly the better team.

"We were 2-1, we got 3-1 but from that point onwards, we needed to defend well and be stronger and be harder to play against. But hey, we scored three, they scored four, we lost the game. We did a lot of good things, certainly going forward. Our attacking play was very good.”

The incident marks another low point in what has been a disappointing season for Phillips, combining poor performances and terrible luck. The midfielder moved on loan to West Ham in January hoping that regular football would see him stay in the England squad for Euro 2024, but below-par form saw him dropped by Gareth Southgate for the March international break and a spot on the plane to Germany is looking unlikely.

Phillips' career has stalled completely since leaving boyhood club Leeds United in 2022. The midfielder, who excelled under Marcelo Bielsa and was named England Player of the Year in 2020/21, struggled to get in ahead of Rodri at City and that lack of regular football has seen his sharpness disappear.

A permanent move away from City is likely this summer but where to remains to be seen. A return to Elland Road has been mooted in some reports, although Leeds would need to be back in the Premier League in order to afford such a move.