Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips making swift recovery that should not surprise

THE video footage of Kalvin Phillips showing an impressive range of motion in a damaged shoulder three days after a hospital trip holds no surprise for anyone who has watched Leeds United over the past two seasons.
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His powers of recovery have been incredibly helpful for Leeds in their quest to gain and retain Premier League status.

Where some players, take Rodrigo for example, need a little time to recover the necessary conditioning to show their full abilities, Phillips is a put-me-straight-back-in kind of operator.

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He's made it back quickly from a number of knocks and rarely requires a run out in the Under 23s before Bielsa throws him into the first team fray again.

ON THE MEND: Leeds United's England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.ON THE MEND: Leeds United's England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.
ON THE MEND: Leeds United's England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.

He's also the kind of player to try and play through a knock, so the sight of him being helped from the field on Sunday was a jarring one, especially 48 hours before the England squad was to be announced.

It says much about his standing with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate that his injury was taken into consideration when the decision to name a provisional 33-man squad was made.

The only conclusion to be made is that Southgate wants Phillips at the Euros.

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Jordan Henderson has only just made it back to training with the Liverpool team and defensive midfielders are of huge importance to Southgate, as his recent team selections have shown.

Now it might be that Phillips is not a guaranteed starter, if all of England's current midfield options are fit and healthy, but he's proven himself to be a very good Premier League player and entirely dependable for England in his first international steps.

So it will not just have been Leeds fans celebrating the sight of him raising his arm above head height, brandishing a dumbbell and moving comfortably, without a grimace, on a training pitch.

The message from Leeds has been clear since Monday - they're confident he'll make it, if Southgate wants him.

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And if Southgate wants a player who will play through pain, shoulder responsibility in and out of possession and do whatever he can for his team, he's got one at Leeds.

He's got at least one at Leeds, but that's another story.

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Thank you Laura Collins