Paul Heckingbottom raved about Kalvin Phillips as the “real talent” emerging at Leeds United over a pint of beer, according to Phil Hay.
Speaking on the latest edition of the Inside Elland Road podcast (12:10), Hay revealed that a social sit-down with the former Elland Road boss revealed how much he rated the midfielder and saw him as more of a star than any of the club’s other academy products, including Ronaldo Vieira.
“We went for a pint with him last season after he was appointed and chatted with him about the squad,” Hay said. “We were making the point that Vieira seemed the real find, the catch who was going to go on to really big things.
“Heckingbottom said to us, ‘In actual fact, Phillips is the one with the ability, Phillips is the one with the real talent when it comes to using the ball and knowing what to do with it’.
“He said, ‘Vieira is a fantastic athlete and a very good player’, but he was of the opinion that Phillips was the one who would come good in a quick period of time. He really has under Bielsa this season.”
OPINION
Along with Pontus Jansson, Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe, Phillips has been one of Leeds’ four outstanding players this season. Indeed, many were claiming in the aftermath of his midweek masterclass against Swansea City that the 23-year-old is doing more than anyone to catapult United to a top-two finish and back into the Premier League after 15 years in the doldrums. Certainly, Phillips has taken his game to a new level under Marcelo Bielsa and has made the midfield anchorman role his own. He has never struggled to cope with the physical requirements of the Championship, even when emerging from the academy around the same time as the likes of Lewis Cook, Sam Byram and Charlie Taylor. It is Phillips’ distribution, awareness and understanding of the midfield role that has really benefited from the guidance of Bielsa and his staff. The 23-year-old was harshly dropped earlier this month after a spell as an emergency centre-back, but has settled back in and now looks untouchable once again.