When Kalvin Phillips does not complete 90 minutes for Leeds United it raises eyebrows and prompts questions, mainly about injury.
For only the third time this season, Phillips was pulled off by Marcelo Bielsa at Southampton on Tuesday night before the match had finished.
The first occasion was also at half-time, but in very different circumstances as the Whites were being battered from pillar to post by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The only other occasion was brought about by injury. Phillips limped off at Elland Road in the 87th minute of the Crystal Palace win.
There were concerns again last night in Hampshire about an issue for the England international, but Bielsa said the decision was more about Pascal Struijk than Phillips.
“No (Phillips is not injured), I chose Pascal to play in that sector because we had to play very in front,” he said. “I thought Pascal could take on board more the game that was being played.
“Anyway, we missed in the second half the way Phillips distributes the ball.”
Despite that reassurance, Phillips was seen limping heavily as he amde his way from the tunnel at St Mary’s, around the pitch and out to the team coach.
While Bielsa will provide another update on Friday ahead of Sunday’s season finale, the main takeaway is perhaps the rising stock of Pascal Struijk.
The Young Player of the Year candidate’s rise has been remarkable and after commanding so much respect in defence there was some disappointment he was dropped at Southampton, Bielsa wanted to find any opportunity to get him out there on the pitch.
For Bielsa to turn away from his England international midfielder and opt for a 21-year-old who remained out the first-team picture 12 months ago, underlines the trajectory Struijk is on.
The statistics underline what Bielsa meant by Phillips’s passing distribution too.
Across their respective 45 minutes on the field, Phillips had seven touches more than Struijk, but the youngster made four tackles to Phillips’s one.
Their passing accuracy was similar, but Phillips was evidently more involved and more ambitious than Struijk, attempting 21 passes to the latter’s 12.
