Kalvin Phillips has told Football Focus that Leeds striker Patrick Bamford is ‘not the best’ of trainers at Thorp Arch.
The Leeds midfielder was talking about being ‘nervous’ for Bamford when he first linked up with England earlier this month.
Bamford earned his maiden England call and made his debut against Andorra – he was subbed off in the second-half, without being able to score on debut.
Luckily for the striker, he already had a familiar face in Phillips he could lean on at St George’s Park.
And Phillips shared what Bamford was like on England duty and why he was ‘nervous’ for his club teammate.
On Bamford at England: “It was nice,” said Phillips. “He’s quite nervous before he went there.
“I think the first day we were training, he got up extra early to have a little coffee and chill out by himself.
“Then he came to my room to wake me up, so at Leeds, he’s not the best trainer in the team, so I was nervous thinking ‘I hope he trains well’.
“Honestly, when he got there, he was unbelievable.”
Bamford missed Leeds 2-1 defeat to West Ham over the weekend, through injury, which would have been frustrating for the £10 million player (BBC Sport).
Prior to the international break, he opened his account for the new season, when he scored the equalising goal at Burnley.
But the goals have been hard to come by since then and it will be interesting to see if Gareth Southgate picks him again.
There is serious competition ahead of Bamford, but one thing is for sure, he knows he is now in Southgate’s thoughts.
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