MOT View: Leeds 24-yr-old proves he should be in contention for Euro 2020 after latest display
Leeds United have themselves a real gem of a defensive midfielder in Kalvin Phillips, who proved himself to be one of England’s best with a fine display at Arsenal on Monday night.
Although Leeds lost 1-0 and were dumped out of the FA Cup away at the Emirates, it was a very positive performance by Marcelo Bielsa’s men and one player stood out for his shining display in the capital.
Phillips was phenomenal for Leeds; he has been all season. If there were any doubts that he cannot put in similar levels performances in the Premier League than he has done in the Championship, they will have been quashed on Monday.
Phillips is the beating heart of the Leeds team and is, arguably, the most important player that makes Bielsa’s system tick.
On Monday, away against an Arsenal side boasting the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe in their attack, Phillips really showed his worth.
According to stats by WhoScored, the 24-year-old made a whopping nine tackles throughout the 90 minutes – his season average in the Championship is three.
Phillips also made one clearance, one interception and showed his value on the ball as he made four key passes – no player on the pitch completed more – and had an accuracy of 84 per cent.
Phillips’ masterclass at the Emirates should have caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate, who will no doubt be working hard on deciding his squad for the European Championships this summer.
England have a real lack of quality in their defensive midfield options.
Eric Dier’s form has dropped off a cliff in recent years while West Ham’s Declan Rice has really failed to impress for the Three Lions.
So it begs the question – why not Phillips?
He’s just what you need in a defensive midfielder as he’s good both on and off the ball. He’s young. He can cope with huge expectations and he has proven he is Premier League quality.
As much as we want to see Phillips continue going under the radar, we need to accept that if promotion is won, that is no longer going to be the case.
An England call-up is exactly what Phillips deserves this summer.
In other Leeds United news, fans were thrilled with this player’s display for the Under-23s on Sunday.