Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that Kalvin Phillips could have left the club before winning promotion to the Premier League.
Phillips has excelled ever since Bielsa came in as Leeds boss back in the summer of 2018.
Going from a solid Championship player to a Premier League and England star, Phillips has enjoyed a meteoric rise.
There are fears over Phillips staying at Elland Road long-term, especially with Liverpool interested.
Leeds have been here before though.
Cast your mind back to the summer of 2019. Leeds have just lost out to Derby County in the play-offs, missing out on promotion.
Aston Villa won the play-offs and then looked towards the Whites for a possible swoop on Phillips.
Leeds rejected offers over £20million from Villa before Phillips snubbed them and signed a new deal at Elland Road.
Having come through the ranks at Leeds, Phillips felt he just couldn’t leave on that play-off defeat to Derby and give it one more go.
Phillips helped Leeds win promotion, became an England international, featured at Euro 2020 and is now a household name.
Bielsa has now spoken about Phillips, admitting that he could have left Leeds during their time in the Championship.
Bielsa called Phillips an ‘idol’ at Elland Road, highlighting just how much he loves the club amid speculation over his future.
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