Marcelo Bielsa could be without Kalvin Phillips for the next two-months after the Leeds United star sustained a serious injury against Brentford, according to the Daily Mail.
Phillips developed a hamstring issue early into the second-half of Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Bees. The blow forced Bielsa to withdraw the 26-year-old on 55-minutes and introduce Mateusz Klich, who he hauled off at half-time in their previous 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Early indications now point to Phillips missing two-months of action over a busy part of the season. Leeds have nine fixtures scheduled before the end of January, with five this month.
Phillips has started 12 of Leeds’ 15 Premier League games so far this term, including their last six. The £38k-a-week technician also played all 300 available minutes in the EFL Cup.
Bielsa left Phillips as an unused substitute when Leeds visited Manchester United on the opening day as he did not complete a full pre-season. He also sat the midfielder out against Wolves in October after missing their 1-0 loss at Southampton with a calf and hip problem.
Klich took over the holding role at Southampton, while Pascal Struijk joined the Poland ace in the Whites’ 1-1 draw with Wolves. Biela also used Robin Koch in the role at Old Trafford.
Phillips injury a big blow for Bielsa and Leeds
Losing Phillips for two-months through injury will come as a big blow for Leeds and Bielsa. Despite having to play down suggestions of a rift, the midfielder is a key part of the Whites boss’ plans. He will now have to hope that Klich, Struijk or Adam Forshaw can fill the void.
The timing of Phillips’ injury will leave Bielsa gutted in particular with Leeds facing Chelsea and Manchester City next. They visit the Blues on Saturday then travel to City on Tuesday.
Phillips is an influential presence at Elland Road when fully fit, and has matched his levels with England. So much so Gareth Southgate hailed his ‘excellent’ form, via Leeds Live, in September and considered him ‘a really important part’ of the Three Lions’ run of results.
Bielsa has also revelled in Phillips’ international exploits, with the Leeds boss noting via the Daily Mail: “To be a star in the team that competes in a team which lost the final of the Euros on penalties, to belong to that collective is very, very difficult. But Kalvin did it.”
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