Kalvin Phillips is the man of the moment right now after his Man of the Match display against Croatia for England, and you have to feel that his showing for the Three Lions could have repercussions at Leeds.
Indeed, while we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing Phillips play as an anchor-man in Leeds’ midfield, rigidly sitting in front of the defence and acting as a guardian for the back four, he showed on Sunday that he may be better placed in another role.
For England, Phillips played as something of a roaming number 8 akin to the role N’golo Kante plays for Chelsea, and he was fantastic.
He didn’t put a foot wrong, he grabbed an assist and he won Man of the Match, and while that was just one performance, it’s a showing that surely had the cogs turning in Marcelo Bielsa’s head.
Imagine Phillips playing like that week in, week out, he’d be even better for Leeds than he is right now, and it may also act as a lifeline for Adam Forshaw.
Forshaw is a player we’ve not seen in almost two years at Leeds, but let’s not forget how good he is when he does play.
Marcelo Bielsa really rates him, comparing him to Juventus’ Arthur Melo in the past, and he’d be great in that anchor man role if Phillips moves further forward.
Of course, Leeds have been linked with other defensive midfielders such as Harrison Reed – but given how much Bielsa likes Forshaw, we wouldn’t be shocked if he gets a chance now that Phillips has shown how effective he can be in a more advanced role.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
