Kalvin Phillips has revealed that his new slimmer frame has been key to his transformation at Leeds United this season.
The Elland Road midfielder admitted that manager Thomas Christiansen told him to slim down during the summer after he had piled on the pounds during the off season.
Phillips’ new svelte physique has helped him establish himself as a key player and he has started 15 of Leeds’ 16 Championship matches, scoring six goals.
Christiansen arrived in late June as Garry Monk’s replacement and one of his first jobs was getting Phillips to lay off the pudding.
“I had to stop eating chocolate cake after Sunday dinner,” the Leeds midfielder revealed on Friday, as quoted by the personal Twitter account of Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent Phil Hay.
Phillips said Christiansen told to slim down in the summer and says he’s been better because of the advice. “I had to stop eating chocolate cake after Sunday dinner.” #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) November 17, 2017
OPINION
Phillips is a good talker and his weighty revelation is a fascinating one in an era of strict diets, sports science and expert nutrition plans. Few top footballers do not have a six-pack, and Phillips’ confession suggests that his midriff was not quite what Christiansen expected during pre-season training. There are a battery of tests for modern players and there is no sneaking around the fitness standards required of them. Body composition is key to the performance of top athletes, and it is no competition that a fitter and leaner Phillips is playing the best football of his career.