Shaun Wright-Phillips
First Bolton, then Wigan, now Sunderland. If Shaun Wright-Phillips does decide to call time on his Manchester City career, he won’t be short of offers.
Wright-Phillips has largely been cast to the fringes since Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes in December 2009, but there is no doubting the winger’s talent.
He has proved that much during City’s pre-season programme, scoring a couple of sweet long-range strikes in wins against Club America and Vancouver Whitecaps.
And when the Blues moved on to Dublin last weekend, he netted a classy volley to set up a 3-0 victory over a League of Ireland XI, before teeing up Adam Johnson for a late goal as Inter Milan were beaten by the same score.
Wright-Phillips’ joy at playing for City is obvious. “I’m working hard and I have no intention of going anywhere else,” he said recently.
But deep down, the winger – who turns 30 in October – knows that he may have to move on.
For although he made it on to the US tour – an achievement in itself given that Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Wayne Bridge and Nedum Onuoha were all left at home – Wright-Phillips is unlikely to be a regular starter at the Eithad Stadium this season.
Mancini is fully aware of the Academy graduate’s feelings for the Blues. Paradoxically, Mancini feels that love for City may yet be the reason that Wright-Phillips has to move on.
“He has Manchester City in his blood, but he’s still a young guy and it’s not easy for me to leave him on the bench all the time,” Mancini said.
The indications are that if the right offer came in – for the club and the player – then the winger would be allowed to go.
A proposed loan move to Bolton fell through in January, although manager Owen Coyle has continued to be linked with a deal.
Coyle may be forced to step up his efforts to lure Wright-Phillips to the Reebok after South Korean Chung-Yong Lee and Tyrone Mears both suffered broken legs during pre-season.
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan publicly declared his interest in Wright-Phillips last month, while Sunderland assistant manager Eric Black did nothing to dampen speculation of a bid of their own on Wednesday.
Wright-Phillips' agent Wayne Lindsay told the Journal: “There has been an enquiry from Sunderland about Shaun.
“There is no secret that Manchester City are prepared to let him go if an offer came in and it was the right offer so I would guess it is now up to Sunderland whether to follow up that initial interest.”
Contract
Wright-Phillips has a year to run on the City contract he signed in August 2008, when he rejoined the club from Chelsea for £9m.
When he returned to the Blues, he said it felt like a homecoming. Despite being a Londoner by birth who was on Nottingham Forest’s books as a teenager, Wright-Phillips’ heart has long been at City.
Having joined the Blues at the age of 15, he became a trailblazer when the club’s youth set-up was restructured under the watch of Jim Cassell in the late 1990s.
When he made his debut as a substitute in a League Cup win at Burnley in August 1999, Wright-Phillips was the first graduate of the new Academy to make the senior team.
The relationship has not always run smoothly since. He could, perhaps, have handled his 2005 departure to Chelsea better. Having stated previously that he did not want to leave City, he then did a U-turn.
And after his return to Manchester, his decision to reject a new contract offer early in 2010 was exacerbated by his father Ian unwisely saying that City were ‘mugging him off and treating him like a youth-team player’.
Wright-Phillips, wisely, has decided since then to get his head down and work hard.
His attitude has impressed the demanding Mancini, but this has not been reflected in terms of starting appearances.
The winger has made only five Premier League starts since Mancini took over, none of them since a 1-1 draw against Blackburn last September.
Being left out of the 18-man matchday squad for May’s FA Cup final win over Stoke was, he acknowledged, a particularly difficult blow to take.
A man with the honour of having played for City in three different decades desperately wanted to be a part of the side that ended their 35-year wait for a trophy.
But even if the odds are against him becoming a Blues first-team regular again, he is not ready to give up just yet, as he revealed during the US tour.
“Since reporting back for training, I have really got my head down and given 100 per cent,” Wright-Phillips said. “I haven’t spoken to the manager. But it has gone well for me and I will never give up on City.”
Wright-Phillips has largely been cast to the fringes since Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes in December 2009, but there is no doubting the winger’s talent.
He has proved that much during City’s pre-season programme, scoring a couple of sweet long-range strikes in wins against Club America and Vancouver Whitecaps.
And when the Blues moved on to Dublin last weekend, he netted a classy volley to set up a 3-0 victory over a League of Ireland XI, before teeing up Adam Johnson for a late goal as Inter Milan were beaten by the same score.
Wright-Phillips’ joy at playing for City is obvious. “I’m working hard and I have no intention of going anywhere else,” he said recently.
But deep down, the winger – who turns 30 in October – knows that he may have to move on.
For although he made it on to the US tour – an achievement in itself given that Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Wayne Bridge and Nedum Onuoha were all left at home – Wright-Phillips is unlikely to be a regular starter at the Eithad Stadium this season.
Mancini is fully aware of the Academy graduate’s feelings for the Blues. Paradoxically, Mancini feels that love for City may yet be the reason that Wright-Phillips has to move on.
“He has Manchester City in his blood, but he’s still a young guy and it’s not easy for me to leave him on the bench all the time,” Mancini said.
The indications are that if the right offer came in – for the club and the player – then the winger would be allowed to go.
A proposed loan move to Bolton fell through in January, although manager Owen Coyle has continued to be linked with a deal.
Coyle may be forced to step up his efforts to lure Wright-Phillips to the Reebok after South Korean Chung-Yong Lee and Tyrone Mears both suffered broken legs during pre-season.
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan publicly declared his interest in Wright-Phillips last month, while Sunderland assistant manager Eric Black did nothing to dampen speculation of a bid of their own on Wednesday.
Wright-Phillips' agent Wayne Lindsay told the Journal: “There has been an enquiry from Sunderland about Shaun.
“There is no secret that Manchester City are prepared to let him go if an offer came in and it was the right offer so I would guess it is now up to Sunderland whether to follow up that initial interest.”
Contract
Wright-Phillips has a year to run on the City contract he signed in August 2008, when he rejoined the club from Chelsea for £9m.
When he returned to the Blues, he said it felt like a homecoming. Despite being a Londoner by birth who was on Nottingham Forest’s books as a teenager, Wright-Phillips’ heart has long been at City.
Having joined the Blues at the age of 15, he became a trailblazer when the club’s youth set-up was restructured under the watch of Jim Cassell in the late 1990s.
When he made his debut as a substitute in a League Cup win at Burnley in August 1999, Wright-Phillips was the first graduate of the new Academy to make the senior team.
The relationship has not always run smoothly since. He could, perhaps, have handled his 2005 departure to Chelsea better. Having stated previously that he did not want to leave City, he then did a U-turn.
And after his return to Manchester, his decision to reject a new contract offer early in 2010 was exacerbated by his father Ian unwisely saying that City were ‘mugging him off and treating him like a youth-team player’.
Wright-Phillips, wisely, has decided since then to get his head down and work hard.
His attitude has impressed the demanding Mancini, but this has not been reflected in terms of starting appearances.
The winger has made only five Premier League starts since Mancini took over, none of them since a 1-1 draw against Blackburn last September.
Being left out of the 18-man matchday squad for May’s FA Cup final win over Stoke was, he acknowledged, a particularly difficult blow to take.
A man with the honour of having played for City in three different decades desperately wanted to be a part of the side that ended their 35-year wait for a trophy.
But even if the odds are against him becoming a Blues first-team regular again, he is not ready to give up just yet, as he revealed during the US tour.
“Since reporting back for training, I have really got my head down and given 100 per cent,” Wright-Phillips said. “I haven’t spoken to the manager. But it has gone well for me and I will never give up on City.”
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