Luke Ayling's five-word message for Kalvin Phillips after Leeds United reunion on Sheffield United debut
A host of Leeds United Championship title winners faced off during Middlesbrough vs Sheffield United this week.
Much-loved former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips vowed to ‘give everything’ at new club Sheffield United after making his debut this week.
Phillips came off the bench for Sheffield United on Monday having joined them on loan from Manchester City during the January transfer window. The Blades lost 2-1 at home to promotion favourites Middlesbrough in a game littered with nostalgia for Leeds fans.
Also coming off the bench for Sheffield United on Monday was Joe Rothwell, who won the 2024/25 Championship title while on loan at Leeds. The pair joined former Whites striker and Marcelo Bielsa favourite Patrick Bamford on the pitch, with Luke Ayling a key player for league leaders Middlesbrough.
Ayling’s Boro came out on top, winning 2-1 at Bramall Lane after a pair of first-half goals. Bamford pulled one back with a great finish to notch his seventh of the Championship campaign while Rothwell was shown a straight red card on a mixed night for the former Leeds group.
In a post on Instagram reflecting on his Blades debut, Phillips wrote: “Always want to start off with a win but it was an incredible feeling stepping onto the pitch as a Blade for the first time. The game was a battle and the fans were top class pushing us onwards. Looking forward to my next steps with this club straight away and ready to give it everything to achieve our ambitions.”
Ayling was the enemy for 90 minutes on Monday night but remains a close friend of Phillips’, given their time shared as part of Bielsa’s much-loved group. The former Whites defender commented: “Great to see you fella (white heart emoji)”.
Former Leeds boss Simon Grayson also commented on the post, writing: “Great to see you back playing”. The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gaetano Berardi, Mateusz Klich and Junior Firpo also liked the post.
Kalvin Phillips promise in Leeds United-littered debut
Despite the defeat, Phillips showed plenty of early promise in a Sheffield United shirt. The former Leeds midfielder played a key role in Bamford’s goal, punching a pass into Gustavo Hamer who then fed his No.9 teammate to finish well.
"It was great to get him on the pitch,” Chris Wilder said of the former Leeds favourite. “He showed what he was about with a great pass for Gus [Hamer] and fabulous goal from our point of view. He's going to be a big player for us.
"We were spinning the plate of Kalvin and it came up late on transfer deadline day. The deal is a fabulous deal from our point of view and the influence that he's had. He'll be involved at the weekend and get more minutes."
Those minutes will come at Fratton Park on Saturday when Sheffield United face Portsmouth in the Championship. Despite currently being 17th, the Blades are still in with an outside chance of making the play-offs, with eight points separating them and Wrexham in sixth.