Four youth prospects at Leeds United have stood out for Kalvin Phillips after watching them train nearly every day this season at least.
Phillips, who himself came through the Thorp Arch academy structure, has seen many of the club’s current under-23s at close quarters after Marcelo Bielsa brought them closer to the first team.
Bielsa has put a significant onus on the under-23s and their readiness for senior action at short notice because of the small squad he likes to run with.
Ideally, the head coach wants 18 bona fide senior faces complemented by four or five stellar under-23 options, who come in to cover injuries and suspensions.
As a result, Phillips has been able to rub shoulders with many and picked out four to watch after a question on the best young prospects through Instagram this week.
“We’ve got quite a few. We’ve got some really good young players,” he said.
“We’ve got Leif Davis, he’s a great player. He’s a left-back who’s really quick.
“We’ve got Jordan Stevens, who’s made a few appearances here and there as well.
“We’ve got a few younger lads called Niall Huggins and Alfie McCalmont. They’re really good young players as well.
“They’ll be in the team in the next year or so, definitely.”
Davis, 20, has the most experience of that quartet with 10 senior appearances to his name since arriving less than three weeks after Bielsa in the summer of 2018.
Stevens, 20, was banned from all footballing activity for six weeks in September for gambling offences, but is certainly one of Bielsa’s favourites.
The former Forest Green Rovers winger has made five appearances from the bench since his debut at Stoke City last season.
McCalmont, 20, is seen as a long-term understudy to Phillips as the team’s deep-lying playmaker.
While he has just two senior outings to his name so far, he has already played for Northern Ireland’s senior team.
Finally, Huggins is the youngest of the four and only signed his first professional deal last summer, making the step into the under-23s this season.
Huggins has stood out for his versatility and lightning speed in Carlos Corberan’s side this term.
