Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has revealed that the best advice he has ever received from a teammate came from Pablo Hernandez.
Hernandez was one of the senior figures in the dressing room at Leeds during his five-year spell at the club.
During the early days of his career, Hernandez enjoyed an excellent spell at Spanish giants Valencia, where he played Champions League football.
But perhaps his biggest achievement during his time at the Mestalla was his call up to the Spanish national team, whom he was capped four times by.
Hernandez made his debut for Spain at 24, which is also the exact same age as when Phillips was handed his first cap for England.
The former Leeds attacking midfielder has therefore already experienced similar to what Phillips has been through in the last year and a half in football, meaning he was extremely well placed to offer his advice.
In a recent interview with Gaffer’s YouTube channel, Phillips revealed exactly what Hernandez told him, and labelled it as the greatest piece of advice a teammate has ever given him.
The 35-year-old said to Phillips: “Don’t get too big for your boots.”
And given the trajectory of Phillips’ career in the last year, it appears as though he has taken that advice on board.
The 25-year-old has now established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the country and is now also one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s team sheet.
He was also voted as England’s player of the year for 2021, highlighting his growing reputation at both club and international level.
