Graeme Souness has again called on Kalvin Phillips to score more goals for Leeds United as he outlined his key traits for a 'modern midfielder'.
As Leeds fans will know only too well, Phillips has been front and centre of the club's transformation from mid-table Championship fodder to one of the most-talked about Premier League teams and has become a regular England international in the process.
Marcelo Bielsa has installed Phillips in the heart of his side, where his ability in breaking up play and distributing the ball has seen him continually draw praise from pundits across football over the past two years.
And while former Liverpool boss Souness is an admirer of the Thorp Arch graduate, he has twice now called upon him to score more goals.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the Scot has discussed how he sees the role of a central midfielder evolving and what they need to do more.
"I believe going to ground to win the ball will soon be outlawed and tackling in general will slowly disappear from the game," he believes. "Instead, it's all about intercepting the ball now, being first to it. The best midfielder I played with at interceptions was Ronnie Whelan. He was bright, a fabulous reader of the game and scored some great goals as well.
"If I have one criticism of modern midfielders, it's that they should score more. The pitches now are perfect for striking the ball from 20-25 yards. Kalvin Phillips of Leeds, who I like a lot, is a lovely striker of the ball, so are Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at Liverpool. They should be scoring more goals."
Speaking on Sky Sports prior to Leeds' 1-0 win at Everton last month, where Phillips turned in one of his strongest performances in a Whites shirt, Souness first aired his view that Phillips needs to get more goals.
"One obvious criticism, 37 games last year in the Championship, two goals," he said.
"I think he is a good striker of the ball, he should be shooting more. Get more goals. Be more of a goal threat. There’s a lot to like about him."
