Gary Lineker has taken to Twitter to react after watching footage of Declan Rice surprising Kalvin Phillips on international duty with England.
What’s the story?
Well, the West Ham No.41 was chosen to present Phillips with quite a prestigious award, which visibly left him shocked.
After 40,000 votes were submitted, the Leeds No.23 has been named England Player of the Year for 2020/21 – what an achievement.
England’s media team asked Rice to sneak up on Phillips with the award behind his back, before surprising him in front of the cameras.
The 25-year-old Leeds man genuinely can’t believe it, and admits to Rice that he didn’t even expect to play so soon under Gareth Southgate!
After watching the footage, Lineker seemed touched.
You can see the BBC Match of the Day host’s tweet in full below.
Clearly, Phillips and the 24-cap England international have a great relationship, both on and off the field.
What an achievement for Kalvin Phillips
As Rice states in the video, Phillips only made his debut for England as recently as last September.
In a year, the Leeds academy graduate has gone from having no caps for the Three Lions, to winning England Player of the Year.
Simply put, it’s been an incredible journey for Phillips, who is quickly becoming one of the best midfielders in Europe.
He now has 15 caps for his country, and nearly helped England win the European Championship for the first time ever with his tireless displays.
In Rice and Phillips, Southgate has a brilliant pairing who make things look so easy in the middle of the park.
With those two in midfield, the future is very bright.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
