Speaking recently to John Murray on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast, Gareth Southgate discussed the call up of Leeds United defensive midfielder, Kalvin Phillips.
Following a fine season for Leeds, in which he featured 37 times in the Championship, scoring two goals, providing two assists and averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.22 – ranking him as the club’s joint second-best player last season – the midfielder, who is an academy product of the club, also helped to ensure that Marcelo Bielsa’s side would be playing in the Premier League as of next season for the first time in 16 years.
As if that season wasn’t impressive enough, Gareth Southgate has now included the 24-year-old in his next England squad, which means he could potentially become the first Leeds player to play for England since Alan Smith back in 2004.
Southgate recently commented on the inclusion of Phillips to John Murray on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast.
He said: “With Kalvin, I thought, given that it’s his first call-up to an England team – I think at any level – that will be an incredibly special moment. Having not been involved with us before, you should never underestimate what it means to a player, his family, the clubs he’s played for, the clubs they play for, the coaches they’ve worked with, the teachers that taught them. These are the people that are affected when we talk about an England call-up.
“We feel he’s a player in a position that we need competition for places. His performances with Leeds in that role have impressed us, and the way that they play as a team should be an easy transfer for him into our team.”
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From Southgate’s comments, then, it would appear as if the England boss believes that there are similarities between the way Bielsa’s team play and the way that the English national team play, which should make it easier for Phillips to adjust to the England squad.
The 24-year-old will be competing for a place in the starting XI with players such as James Ward-Prowse, Harry Winks, Mason Mount and Declan Rice, while Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain miss the international fixtures through injury.
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Phillips does get some game time for England, which, in our opinion, would really cement the feeling of Leeds being back in the big time.