Former Leeds United fan favourite Dominic Matteo wrote in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post about Kalvin Phillips.
The Englishman played each of Leeds’ first five games in the league this term. The Whites only lost two of those, but a shoulder injury ruled Phillips out of their last three matches.
The 24-year-old is arguably the most important player in Marcelo Bielsa’s system. Phillips works brilliantly during the transition from defence to attack. He also protects the back line when his side is hit with a counter-attack; something Leeds have missed in the last three games.
The Whites smashed Aston Villa but lost heavily against Leicester City and Crystal Palace. It was evident that Phillips was a huge miss in both games.
Matteo spoke about how important the midfielder is to the club. He feels that the Englishman – who cost Leeds nothing – is now worth a whopping £50 million.
Matteo wrote: “With Kalvin not out there in the last few weeks we have really missed that person who can do the donkey work but also who has composure on the ball to keep it when we need to.
“He has been a huge loss and for Marcelo to try and replace him is a huge task because of his clear importance to the side.
“You’re talking about a £40-or £50-million rated player in terms of how crucial he is to his team and its set-up. Without him in there, it does feel like Bielsa doesn’t quite have the balance of the team right and I think that has been evident in the way they have shipped goals.”
Phillips joined Leeds’ academy as a 14-year-old. He worked his way up through the youth teams, and he is now one of the club’s best players.
The Englishman improves Leeds both defensively and in attack. He is hugely important to Bielsa’s system, and fans will be hoping that he will be fit for the big game against Arsenal on Sunday.
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