Kalvin Phillips 'fully deserves' a starting place in England's line-up at the European Championships.
That's the verdict of former England and Tottenham Hotspur player Andros Townsend.
Having missed the 1-0 victory over Austria in midweek after Gareth Southgate opted to give the Leeds midfielder more time to recover from his shoulder injury, Phillips is expected to feature in England's final warm-up game against Romania on Sunday evening.
The match at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium is the last opportunity for the England squad to impress Southgate in a match before Euro 2020 gets underway.
England's first match of the tournament is against Croatia on Sunday June 13, coming a week after the final warm-up clash. Having featured prominently this season for the national side, Phillips will look to prove to Southgate this weekend that's he's foit and ready to take his place in the starting XI against Croatia.
If he does that, he'll deserve his place says Townsend.
"He's a very good player. He's got a great engine up and down the pitch and doesn’t stop running," Townsend told the ITV Football Show podcast.
"If he does get the nod [to start for England], he fully deserves it."
