Care and love have poured forth from Kalvin Phillips’s Leeds United team-mates while he’s on his Euro 2020 odyssey, but another gift from Marcelo Bielsa will have to wait.
The Whites head coach gave Phillips one of his treasured Newell’s Old Boys shirts after he was called up by England for the first time.
However, Phillips is yet to hear anything from Bielsa on the three matches he has played under Gareth Southgate in the tournament so far.
As all of Bielsa’s players have said since he arrived in June 2018, the Argentine likes to retain a professional distance from them and would never look to hassle them away from their work.
“He’s not been in touch with me personally,” said Phillips. “I’ve had messages from different coaches from my club, but Marcelo likes to keep things non-contact and just when he sees you, he speaks to you then.”
There is little doubt Bielsa has been bursting with pride while watching England’s three matches up to now, every minute of which Phillips has played.
While Bielsa has not picked up the phone, Phillips said, as ever, the Elland Road squad has not been shy in letting him know how proud he is making them.
“I always get support from the lads,” he said. “The lads are very caring and very loving when it comes to stuff like this and I’ve had lots of messages from various different team-mates. It’s always nice.”
Robin Koch is the next Thorp Arch comrade he will cross paths with. Germany visit Wembley on Tuesday in the round of 16, with Koch likely to be among the substitutes at the very least.
The centre-back has been in touch with Phillips, but there’s been none of the playful pre-match needle you may sometimes get between club colleagues facing off with their nations.
“I’ve had a bit of interaction. I spoke to Liam [Cooper of Scotland] during the group stages and I spoke to Robin, but it’s not been anything to do with England vs Germany, it’s been personal reasons, asking how he is and how he’s getting on,” said Phillips.
While the Three Lions may have topped their group and kept three clean sheets, with only two goals scored, it’s been predictable to see Leeds fans bored after three years of box office football under Bielsa.
Phillips understands why those who like Leeds games may have switched off England matches, but underlined how impressive three clean sheets are.
“He’s (Southgate) very easygoing,” he said. “He wants us to attack, he wants us to get goals, he wants us to express ourselves when we’ve got the ball and when we haven’t got it.
“Everyone says Gareth was a defender, so his teams are very defensive, but if you look at the last three games we haven’t conceded a goal, which is good.
“If you like my club team, where we can score five goals and concede four, it’s probably not as good. The fact we’re keeping clean sheets is a major positive as well.”
