KALVIN Phillips has revealed how he plans to keep his dad out of jail as he serves a 12 year sentence behind bars.
The Man City star’s dad, Mark, is based at HM Prison Wealstun, which is only a short drive away from Phillips’ previous home in Leeds.
As a teen, Phillips would often go and see his dad, but those visits to the prison started to become less frequent over the past few years.
The England ace, 27, said he had driven past the Category C prison every day while at Leeds United.
He would never visit Mark, incarcerated for a series of crimes, although the pair would speak on the phone.
But the Prem star recently went in a couple of months ago for around an hour and a half with Phillips describing the meeting “like I’d never been away”.
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Speaking to MailOnline Phillips said: “I think it was six years since I’d last seen him.
“It was literally like I’d never been away from him to be honest. He looked a bit older and stuff like that but it was like the last time I saw him. We had a laugh, talked about football, saying how proud he was.”
Phillips’s father was in and out of prison for much of his son’s childhood.
He and his three siblings were raised by his hard-working mum Lindsay Crosby and beloved late grandmother Val.
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But despite his challenging upbringing, Phillips spoke about how he wanted to “look after” and help his dad be “secure” when he is released from prison.
The Man City ace said: “Obviously I mentioned about looking after him.
“To make sure he is secure, so he doesn’t go straight back into prison like he has in the past. He could’ve asked me for anything: for a car, a house, anything.
“He said all he wants is to be able to travel around the world and watch me play football. That’s obviously something I can help with.”
And Phillips gave a little more insight into the complex relationship between him and his father saying he “doesn’t have a problem with it”.
The England international said: “He feels like he’s intruding, because he hasn’t been there through our childhood. He doesn’t want to take up our time, but I always say if he needs to ring, just call.
“My dad’s one of those people who gets something in his head, like if he’s interrupting, or life gets a little bit too much, he’ll back away as if he’s doing something wrong.”
The Man City star then spoke of how he is longing for the day his dad will be released in two years so he can come and watch him play.
He continued: “We’d speak and he wouldn’t call for another two or three months. After I visited him, obviously I said to make sure he rings me. He hasn’t called since.
“That’s just how he feels, that’s what he is like. I’ve never had a problem with the relationship we’ve had. I’d love him to be out and be in a secure house and be able to come and watch. I’ll have to wait.”
Phillips joined City for over £40million last summer but injuries and fitness issues limited him to just two league starts.
Although Pep Guardiola’s side won the treble, Phillips played just 21 times across all competitions for a combined 593 minutes.
He has largely been on the sidelines for City having been unable to dislodge Rodri from a starting spot.
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Phillips will hope to build on what has been a inconsistent season after an initial struggle to understand Pep Guardiola’s tactics and a number of injuries.
In December, Guardiola left Phillips out of the Carabao Cup win over Liverpool because he was “overweight” after a post-World Cup holiday with his girlfriend.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
