Struggling West Ham player has been backed by former teammate to be back to his best next season.

After seeing what David Moyes was able to do to Jesse Lingard in his short time at the club, many West Ham fans were hoping that he could have a similar effect on Kalvin Phillips. The Manchester City loanee has struggled since leaving Leeds, barely featuring for last season’s treble winners. Phillips would have been hoping that he could get his career back on track with a move to East London, a fresh start to rebuild his confidence and sharpness.

Disappointingly, quite the opposite has happened. Any expectations West Ham had for the midfielder have been shattered and, as much as the hate he receives is unwarranted, there is no denying he has been a woeful signing.

However, his former teammate Patrick Bamford has stated that the only reason he has been performing so poorly is due to his lack of match fitness. He claims that where every other player has been playing consistently, he just isn’t able to get up to speed.

“I think for Kalv, he went to City, training with top players which will bring on your level,” Bamford explained on the My Mate’s a footballer podcast. “But there is a big difference to training every day. Playing a few minutes, to playing match after match.”

“Unfortunately for Kalv, he’s gone to West Ham where he hasn’t got match sharpness. He’s playing catch up because it is mid-season. Social media is horrible. It’s unfair. He doesn’t go from being a top player, winning England’s Player of the Year, to all of a sudden not being good enough to play for any team in the Prem. Next season, wherever Kalv goes, he’ll get a good pre-season. We’ll see the best of him again.”

Until recent events where he was seen swearing at a fan, Phillips had been doing everything right off the pitch. He seemed like a brilliant man and, in fairness, anyone would be infuriated by the disgusting comments people make towards him.

For his sake, it would be great to see him find his feet again next season. Sadly, it is extremely unlikely that he will get that opportunity at Wsst Ham due to his poor form.