OPINION
Phil Hay has said that Kalvin Phillips is a future Leeds captain and we couldn’t agree more.
future captain.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) November 27, 2018
The transformation of the 22-year-old has been dramatic under Marcelo Bielsa and Phillips is growing on and off the pitch this season.
He’s definitely playing the best football of his life and acknowledged that this was down to the Argentine manager.
“It’s all going well, touch wood, but it’s very hard under Marcelo Bielsa,” Phillips said.
“He’s very demanding but young players like me and the young lads who’ve played need that. They need a manager who’s going to push them to their limits. That’s what he does and that’s how he gets the best out of us.”
Anyone who watched the 2-0 win against Bristol City last Saturday will have seen why Phillips has been linked with a move to the Premier League this season.
It’s now looking like he could be there next season anyway with Leeds. With Phillips acting as the defensive shield for his side, they’re sustaining a proper challenge for automatic promotion.
Phillips was brought back into the centre of defence in the 1-0 win against Reading on Tuesday night and put in another unerring shift.
And talking of the two youngsters that were blooded by Bielsa on Saturday, Phillips sounded every inch the future captain and a man older than his 22 years: “I’ve been there and it is nerve racking.”
Players like Phillips often don’t get the plaudits that are saved for the goal-scorers, but he is absolutely integral to everything Leeds are doing right this season.
There’s a feeling that he could grow into a future superstar and we’re sure he’d like nothing better than to do that at Elland Road with Leeds back in the Premier League.
Future captain? We’ve no doubt about it.