Kalvin Phillips made a reference to his days at Leeds when arriving for England duty at St George’s Park.
What’s the story?
Well, the England international was quizzed on his decision to wear shorts upon arriving for duty at St George’s Park a few days ago, given the chilly weather.
In defence of his outfit choice, Phillips said: “Yeah shorts, I’m from Leeds!”
Clearly – despite a miserable campaign so far at Manchester City – the Leeds academy graduate hasn’t lost his sense of humour.
In truth, the 27-year-old was very fortunate to receive a call from Gareth Southgate for the current international break.
Phillips has only played 57 minutes of Premier League football so far this season following his £45m move to the Etihad Stadium, which has come across five substitute appearances.
The Manchester City No.4 is yet to actually start a Premier League game for the Citizens.
Of course, Phillips is a fantastic footballer and we can understand why Southgate wants him at St George’s Park.
However, his lack of game time means he is very lucky to be involved with the Three Lions this March.
Kalvin Phillips should have stayed at Leeds
While many would argue that Phillips had justified his decision to leave Leeds if he goes on to win the Premier League, FA Cup or the Champions League this season, we still believe he should have stayed at Elland Road.
Under Pep Guardiola, the Yorkshire Pirlo is starting to fizzle out and become a forgotten figure in English football, which is a shame seeing as he was arguably one of Europe’s most exciting midfielders at Leeds – especially after shining at EURO 2020.
Phillips – like Jack Grealish did when leaving Aston Villa – gave up the chance to become an icon at his boyhood side, just to become another cog in a trophy winning machine.
Of course, every footballer wants to win silverware, but is receiving a medal for playing a fringe role worth throwing away legend status in your hometown? We don’t think so.
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