MOT View: Leeds first-team star almost certain to play v Crawley after major incident
We’re fully expecting Marcelo Bielsa to play his Leeds United Under-23 stars against Crawley in the third round of the FA Cup next Sunday.
The League 2 opposition means that Leeds can play a much-weakened side and still expect to get through the game.
However, we’re now almost certain that Bielsa mainstay Kalvin Phillips will play in the game and provide the spine and experience for the players around him.
We believe Phillips will play after picking up a yellow card in the dying minutes of the game against Tottenham on Saturday.
It’s something that all Leeds fans have been dreading and it was one of the weakest yellows we’ve ever seen – needless from both Phillips and the referee.
In past times this would have been perfect timing, with Phillips able to serve his suspension in the FA Cup.
However, the change of rules means that cards picked up in the Premier League only count in that competition, and that means he misses the Brighton game on January 16.
Given that, it makes total sense for Phillips to play against Crawley to keep up his match fitness before getting 10 days off ahead of the game against Southampton.
Phillips will be able to hold the Under-23 players together and we believe the side has a much better chance of progression if he’s in it from the start.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay delivers transfer update on Leeds and Rodrigo De Paul after big social media tease