Journalist Phil Hay has recently talked about Adam Forshaw’s future at Leeds as a potential backup for Kalvin Phillips.
On the latest episode of The Phil Hay Show, the journalist gave his view about multiple issues involving the Whites. One player that he did focus on was Forshaw, his future at Leeds and the midfielder acting as a rotation option for Kalvin Phillips.
Hay made it clear that Forshaw’s situation now sounds pretty positive and if he does get back to full fitness soon, he could become a backup for Phillips and Bielsa will have a decision to make in terms of whether Leeds need another defensive midfielder or not.
Can Forshaw act as a cover for Phillips?
Yes
No
It has been recently reported by journalist Adam Pope that Forshaw will feature for the Leeds Under-23s side against Aston Villa. The Englishman had played for the side in a friendly against York City.
Hay believes that Forshaw might have the skillset to do the job in place of Phillips and as a result, Bielsa might not have to seek temporary solutions.
The journalist said: “The mentions and dispatches of Forshaw in training sound really, really positive all of a sudden. And he played in a bounce game last weekend against York City, went through 60 minutes. Leeds U23s are at Aston Villa tonight – very good chance, I think, that he’ll feature in that.
“And I’m starting to think, well, if Forshaw does actually get back to the level that he needs to be at and if he does become an option for Bielsa, is Bielsa going to want cover for Phillips given that he always thought of Forshaw as a player who would compete for that area, but actually had the skill set to do it – as opposed to asking a centre-back to step in there or somebody else to moonlight?”
TIF Thoughts on Adam Forshaw…
Hay has previously stated that Leeds have been looking for a cover for Phillips in the market, as nobody else in the squad has the same profile as him. The likes of Teun Koopmeiners and Boubakary Soumare have been named as possible targets (as per The Athletic).
Forshaw, who is valued at £2.25m, is now 29 and injuries have plagued him for a while now. This makes it less of a guarantee that he can be relied on as a regular Phillips backup.
In other news: “They’re talking about” – Exclusive: Pundit drops big Bielsa claim amid Leeds contract doubts