Leeds United hero Kalvin Phillips nearly missed his chance with the club when he was a youngster because his school thought that him pursuing a career in football was a bad idea, according to Phil Hay.
The 23-year-old midfielder is a firm favourite at Elland Road and a central facet of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad, but things could have been very different.
Writing in a piece of The Athletic in which he spoke to scout Walter “Sonny” Sweeney, who discovered Phillips, Hay said: “When Leeds, with the help of Sweeney’s recommendation, agreed to take Phillips into their academy and asked his school to allow him to attend Thorp Arch on day release, Phillips’ school wrote to his mother and told her that he was making a mistake.”
TiF Tactics – How important is Phillips to Leeds?
Leeds United without Kalvin Phillip doesn’t even bear thinking about.
The midfielder has established himself as one of the finest enforcers in the Championship, and the role he plays in Bielsa’s system is crucial to what his side does.
Already this season he’s averaging 3.8 tackles per game, as well as 1.4 interceptions and two clearances [Whoscored].
Vitally, however, his influence stretches beyond simply regaining possession.
In his five Championship appearances so far this season, Phillips has averaged a pass completion rate of 86%, including 0.8 key passes from a defensive position and 8.4 long passes.
That ability to win the ball back and then get his team moving in the other direction, combined with a seriously broad range of passing and the ability to hurt sides with both long and short distribution, is absolutely invaluable, and has been a key factor in transforming Leeds into the side that they are under Bielsa.
Is Phillips likely to stay at Elland Road?
It’s no secret that Phillips was a man in demand over the summer, and United did a wonderful job of hanging onto their star man in the face of serious pressure from the Premier League, as reported by Football Insider.
Since then, there has been some concern about the player’s long term future at his boyhood club, but increasingly the signs are relatively positive.
According to another report from Football Insider, United are set to offer him a new contract, with Phillips holding out for something close to £40,000-a-week.
Whether he gets it remains to be seen, but all things considered, the fact that talks are set to happen at all is cause for cautious optimism.