David Prutton has drooled over Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, and says that it would be hard to find a better holding midfielder in the Championship than the 23-year-old.
The Sky Sports pundit says that the Whites mainstay – who has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season is a player that Marcelo Bielsa needs “build” the team around due to the fact that he is having “the season of his life” and looks like “he could play until he’s 40.”
He adds that Phillips has a lot more ability than many people will realise, and admires how he is a player that does not like to complicate things too much.
“I’ve seen Phillips in different positions over the years, sometimes in a fairly attacking role, sometimes as a very central midfielder, but he’s never looked as comfortable as he does in the holding role,” he said in his Yorkshire Evening Post column.
“We know he’s a robust, physical animal but he’s technically better than he’s been given credit for and one of his big talents is a willingness to keep things simple. His goal at Middlesbrough last weekend was his first of the season and, someone said, his fourth effort on target. I love that stat. It’s a great example of someone sticking to his job, despite the temptation to look for personal glory.
“I’d struggle at this stage to pick out a better holding midfielder in the Championship and at 23, Phillips has become a player who Leeds need to build their team around. We’re bad in England at lauding young players who haven’t made a splash but he’s got over 100 appearances already, he’s having the season of his life and he’s the sort of athletic specimen who looks like he could play until he’s 40.
“When was Phillips last injured? When does he ever seem like his legs have gone as injury-time comes? Does anybody else think he’s starting to look like a club captain of the future?”
OPINION
Kalvin Phillips is no doubt one of the most underrated players for Leeds at the moment, so it is good to see him receiving a lot of praise here. The job he does for the Whites is invaluable, and it makes you question why the likes of Adam Forshaw were starting ahead of him for a couple of matches. There are so many elements to Phillips’ game that can be admired, and the fact he is a player who likes to stick to his job sometimes allows other players to take the limelight. Bielsa has put him in other roles this season but it is safe to say that this is the position in which he thrives the most. He has been excellent as a holding midfielder, so long may it continue – and the fact that he is only 23 suggests that he has not even reached his peak yet. If he is this good at this age, who knows how much he will improve in a few years’ time?