An encouraging behind-the-scenes claim has emerged at Leeds United this week…
What’s the latest?
According to the ever-reliable Beren Cross of LeedsLive, the Yorkshire giants are expecting star midfielder Kalvin Phillips to return from injury ahead of schedule.
The England international suffered a hamstring injury during their 2-2 draw with Brentford in early December and was expected to make a comeback in March, at the very earliest.
However, there is reason to expect that it could be much earlier.
“Phillips and [Liam] Cooper are slated for March returns, though there are high hopes the former could be back sooner than that,” the reporter revealed in a recent Q&A with supporters.
That much has since been backed up by images provided by the club’s official Twitter feed, in which the aforementioned duo are pictured back training on the grass at Thorp Arch.
Big boost for Bielsa
This will be of huge encouragement to manager Marcelo Bielsa as Phillips is usually one of the first names on the teamsheet every weekend.
That isn’t the only reason why the Argentine will be absolutely delighted as it shows that their unrelenting injury crisis is showing signs that it could ease up ahead of a crucial few months.
The 26-year-old, who played a starring role for England at Euro 2020 in the summer, is of huge importance to Bielsa’s system in west Yorkshire.
He’s the man who shields the backline with his impressive defensive capabilities and is somewhat a deep-lying playmaker with his ability to ping a diagonal longball across the pitch like it’s nothing.
Indeed, from only 12 starts this term, Phillips sits second for successful tackles – managing 2.3 per game – which is only bettered by the ever-present Stuart Dallas (2.9), whilst he isn’t far off for interceptions (1.2 per game) or longballs (3.5 per game) either, via WhoScored.
His importance to the side has been highlighted by fellow LeedsLive journalist Joe Donnohue, who told GIVEMESPORT:
“The Kalvin Phillips role is possibly the most important in that team because he’s the one who maintains the centrality, and is very much used as a fulcrum at the base of the midfield.
“Anybody knows that you can pass through him, and he’ll ensure a safe passage of the ball to the other side of the pitch or forwards or backwards.”
Therefore, it’s easy to see why his return will come as a major boost to Bielsa as they look to steer clear of a relegation dogfight this term.
AND in other news, New lfeline: Bielsa’s £34k-p/w Leeds passenger a big winner from January transfer window…
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