David Moyes defends Kalvin Phillips after midfielder stuck middle finger up at fan

David Moyes has backed Kalvin Phillips to prove his worth to West Ham United fans after the midfielder found himself caught up in a clash with fans.

Phillips joined on loan from Manchester City in January with a view to reigniting his stalling career, but the 28-year-old has endured a torrid time with West Ham and was called “useless” as he boarded the team bus after this weekend’s 4-3 defeat to Newcastle United.

In response to the insult, Phillips raised his middle finger at the supporter in question – a gesture Moyes moved to defend.

“Kalvin’s a human being and can do things which we all do at different times,” Moyes said. “What he needs is support behind him, people to help him, and we’re going to stand with him help him as much as we possibly can.

“Obviously, we need all out supporters to give all our players, whoever it is, their support.

“He’s fine, he’s back training and we’ve all moved on from the weekend. We’ve got a big game coming up and we’re getting ready for that now.”

Phillips has now started three games for West Ham, coming off the bench for another six appearances, and may retain a big role as first-choice midfielder Edson Alvarez remains suspended.

His switch to the London Stadium was made as Phillips found his spot in the England national team under pressure. Gareth Southgate has remained loyal to the midfielder, despite the fact he played just 911 minutes with City between July 2022 and January 2024.

However, his poor form with West Ham actually saw Phillips left out of the England squad for the March international break – two years since he was last omitted for reasons other than injury.

“At the moment, I couldn’t be confident on the performances Kalvin’s had in the last few weeks that he could go onto the field and do the job we know that he’s capable of,” Southgate said when asked why he dropped Phillips last month.

“So, there’s absolutely no reason why he can’t find that form. Nothing would give us more pleasure than having a Kalvin that’s back in the rhythm of playing and back to full confidence.”