First Since Kompany: Kalvin Phillips to Wear Number 4 for Manchester City

New Manchester City signing Kalvin Phillips will wear the number 4 shirt, becoming the first player to don it since City legend Vincent Kompany left the club in 2019.

Phillips to Wear Number 4 for Manchester City

The England international was unveiled today, and unlike his new team mate Erling Haaland, we was able to show off his squad number immediately. He had quite a few options to choose from, with the numbers 4, 12, 15, 19, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 30 all vacant, as well as the number 9, but that one is surely reserved for Haaland.

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Phillips' shirt number at Leeds was 23, a number that City retired after the death of former player Marc Vivien Foe in 2003. He has also worn number 4 for England, and as a combative defensive midfielder it suits his position.

There is also the weight of expectation that comes with wearing the shirt associated with a club icon of Kompany's stature. The Belgian captained City to their first ever Premier League crown, adding in three more over the course of his 11 year stay, in addition to two FA Cups, four League Cups and a couple of Charity Shields. A physically imposing defender, he was a real leader and one of the longest-serving players of City's modern era.

Manchester City have signed defenders like Nathan Aké, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo since Kompany's departure, but the club seemed reluctant to give out the number 4 jersey, possibly preferring to wait a while out of respect for their former captain, and also to avoid putting too much pressure on these players to step into the void left by Kompany. The players themselves may have preferred to avoid facing comparisons to the Belgian.

The time has obviously deemed right for someone to take up the mantle, and Phillips was considered a priority signing for Pep Guardiola. Do you think the Englishman can fill Kompany's boots Let us know in the comments.