One year ago today, Micah Richards and Chris Sutton were debating Kalvin Phillips’ potential to play for England.
The two BBC pundits came to the conclusion that Phillips was good enough to one day play for England, but he would have to move away from Leeds and prove himself in the Premier League before getting the nod.
As we all know, the midfielder has made a mockery of that prediction.
Phillips earnt his first England cap in September, before he even made his Premier League debut, and all while still being a Leeds United player.
Yes, Leeds had just won the Championship, but Phillips’ talent was so evident that Gareth Southgate didn’t need to see him in the Premier League to make the call on him.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Richards and Sutton were wrong to make such a prediction, after all, Southgate was adamant that Jack Grealish would have to play in the Premier League to earn a call-up, but Phillips proved himself enough in the Championship to jump the queue.
It’s really a testament to the Yorkshire Pirlo’s talents that he was called up to the England squad before stepping onto a Premier League pitch, and perhaps Richards and Sutton should have seen that coming.
The best thing is that he didn’t need to join one of the big six to make his mark on the international scene, he’s worked hard to drag his boyhood club into the Premier League and his performances were rewarded with international recognition.
Phillips is certainly a special talent, and after starring in the Premier League and for England, we don’t think people will be underestimating him like this going forward.
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