Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips has opened up on the joy he'll feel when his dad is finally able to watch him play football when he is released from prison.
The England midfielder grew up without a father figure by his side. His Dad is based at HM Prison Wealstun, which is only a short drive away from Phillip's previous Leeds home.
However, they did not get to see each other too regularly, with contact previously limited to conversations over the phone. Phillips is now set to be at the heart of a documentary on Amazon Prime Video. Revealing his motivations for the programme, the 27-year-old revealed that he wanted to show a more vulnerable side, while also showing that children in similar situations were not alone.
“I wanted to show my side of the story and my move from Leeds to City,” Phillips told BBC Five Live. “I want to inspire kids with any stories like mine. I didn’t really have a father figure when I was growing up.
“I went to see him a couple of months ago and said I wanted to help him when he gets out, help him settle down and make sure he doesn’t go back to prison like he always used to do.
“He said ‘Kalvin, all I want to do is travel and watch you play football. I’ll be happy with that for the rest of my life.’
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“He said he’s missed so many things and seeing me now at one of the best teams in the world, it would just be a joy to come and watch me all the time, and I said 'That’s fine by me'.”
It is not the first time that Phillips has opened up on the tricky circumstances regarding his relationship with his Dad.
As quoted by talkSPORT, he said: "I drive past him every morning. I’ve been to see him a few times but I don’t like going in there and seeing him in prison.
"I’d rather speak over the phone. I speak to him every couple of weeks. He is proud of me. He’s Leeds. He’s lived in Leeds all his life. He rang me a couple of weeks after we’d been promoted, and said, ‘Listen to this.’
"All the people who were waiting for a phone call in prison were there, all singing Marching on Together, banging on the walls.”
Phillips eventually went on to make 234 appearances for Leeds after progressing through the club’s youth system. His time at Elland Road ended last summer as he completed a £45m move to Manchester City.
Despite helping Pep Guardiola's side to an historic treble, Phillips’ contributions were extremely limited. He made just 21 appearances for City last term - just four of those being starts.
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