Kalvin Phillips has admitted that he was ‘devastated’ and ‘gutted’ when Leeds United sold Ronaldo Vieira two years ago.
The Thorp Arch academy product left Elland Road to join Sampdoria in a £7.7 million deal.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani later claimed that he was forced to sell the 21-year-old for financial reasons, calling it a ‘difficult sacrifice’.
Phillips and Vieira were both mainstays in the Whites’ midfield for a couple of seasons before the latter’s departure to Italy.
And having risen through the ranks with him, the current Leeds star admitted that he was sick over seeing his old team-mate sold.
He told a Forza Football Academy in a Q&A on Instagram: “I was there when Ronaldo was coming up through the 18s and the 23s. He took the team by storm. For such a young kid to be able to play as well as he did, when he was here he was massive for us.
“He opened your eyes and you thought ‘we’ve got a very good, young player’. I was gutted when he left, but I still keep in touch with him. We talk on a day-to-day basis.”
Vieira had a difficult first year in Serie A but was enjoying a much better 2019-20 campaign when the season was suspended.
Seventeen of his 21 league appearances were from the start, having only started six times last term.
Leeds remain close to Vieira and last week the club uploaded an NHS video in which their former midfielder made a cameo.
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