Kalvin Phillips hails key Leeds United experience in huge tribute upon Marcelo Bielsa inquiry

Former Whites star Phillips is part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad that will face reigning champions France in a mouth watering World Cup quarter final on Saturday night. Having recovered from shoulder surgery, Manchester City midfielder Phillips has bagged 40 minutes off the bench in England’s last two World Cup games and the 27-year-old says he is fully ready should he be called upon for Saturday night’s last eight date against the French.

Furthermore, the former Leeds star says he will be comfortable playing in different roles should Southgate opt to switch formations, thanks in no small part to his experience under former boss Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. Phillips had been deployed as a central midfielder and even as a no 10 before the arrival of Bielsa who made the Yorkshire Pirlo a permanent fixture as CDM and even deployed him as a centre back.

Asked if he would be comfortable featuring in an England side that switched formations against the French, Phillips said: "I think, for me, when I played at Leeds, I played under a manager that changed formation every time, every 15 minutes so I was quite used to changing formation.

"Obviously I played in that deeper no 4 role but I did change positions quite a lot, I played centre half and stuff like that so I feel like if that happened during a game or if we needed to change formation, I would be very comfortable doing it."

Speaking at a Thursday pre-match press conference, Phillips was also asked to compare Bielsa to Southgate and what similarities there were. Phillips reasoned: “They are obviously very different. But I think people underestimate how good a manager Gareth Southgate is.

"For the last three years I’ve been with England, he’s been amazing, he's done really well. Obviously in the summer we didn't have great results but you could put that down to many different reasons but I think what he has done with this team and how he has nurtured the team into winning games and being one of the best countries in the world at playing football.

"A lot of people don't give him credit for that and you can't forget that he has got very tough decisions to make as well with unbelievable players that will maybe be on the bench and not playing and leaving them out as well.

"Obviously, I understand it that it's a very hard position that Gareth is in but I think he’s been unbelievable since I have been with England. The way he treats us all, he is an unbelievable man manager and obviously he has got great coaching staff around them as well which helps us a lot."