The Sky pundit shares what Kalvin Phillips told him after leaving Leeds
Leaving your boyhood club isn’t easy, but that’s exactly what Kalvin Phillips decided this summer when he left Leeds United.
The England international is now sporting Manchester City colors as ex-Leeds United player Michael Brown has revealed he recently spoke to the powerful midfielder.
Brown tells Sky sports news that Phillips “enjoyed” his time at the Etihad and has now “put his house in order” after leaving Yorkshire.
The problem for Leeds this summer is that they haven’t lost one key figure from their squad but two, now-Barcelona star Raphinha.
For Jesse Marsch and the players, this upcoming campaign will likely test their mental toughness more than anything because they will no longer have Raphinha or Phillips to turn to.
Nonetheless, Brown shared his thoughts on Phillips and what struck him about the player when speaking to him during a media day at Manchester City recently.
“Rodri will be the first choice, you would expect that,” Brown said. “I spoke to Kalvin Phillips on media day and he is enjoying his time there. He has settled down. He’s got his house in order and he’s doing very, very well.
“I think what we can understand about Phillips and the role he can play is that it’s not just about those six, it’s not just about being in front of the back four.
“But he can play as an eight, he can switch to centre-back if Guardiola wants to switch to a three, so he has many, many options.
“Or does he go alongside Rodri in the big games? He’s a great signing and a great character in the dressing room.”
WHAT EFFECTS CAN PHILLIPS HAVE?
It’s quite obvious that Phillips won’t go into Pep Guardiola’s eleven and he will now have to get used to warming the bench.
Last season, Jack Grealish made a similar move to his compatriot and struggled, but most importantly he wasn’t used that much, especially during the bigger games.
It could be a different story for Phillips, as one wall Manchester City keeps hitting is their ongoing Champions League meltdowns.
The prime example is last season’s second leg loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals and how the Premier League champions slipped through their fingers at the very end.
Perhaps, with Phillips now on the club’s books, Guardiola could play both the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ and Rodri in the same midfield if the same situation arises next season.
In other news, ‘Bow Down’: Harry Kane and England team-mates react to Ella Toone’s stunner in Lioness glory
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/08/01/i-spoke-sky-pundit-shares-what-kalvin-phillips-told-him-after-leeds-exit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-spoke-sky-pundit-shares-what-kalvin-phillips-told-him-after-leeds-exit The Sky pundit shares what Kalvin Phillips told him after leaving Leeds
