Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has lauded Kalvin Phillips for his mature display against Nottingham Forest.
The Whites’ midfielder was in the thick of the action with another impressive performance at Elland Road on Saturday.
Despite his best efforts, it proved to be a frustrating afternoon for United as they drew 1-1 with Forest, despite dominating large portions of the encounter.
However, Phillips' showing was a quick reminder to the home faithful, as if they needed one, of his growing qualities, which attracted a huge amount of Premier League interest in the summer.
Bielsa has previously heaped praise on Phillips for his tactical nous and was once again quick to praise the 23-year-old for his understanding of the game which helped Leeds execute their game plan.
Speaking to the press after the match, he said: “We knew, when we were thinking, the 28 (Silva) and 17 (Alfa Semedo) were unbalanced players.
“It was a great sign of maturity in Kalvin for him to play most of the match with a yellow card. He never took any risks to leave the pitch.
“The centre-backs and Phillips had a lot of time on the ball when they were playing out from the back and this creates a bigger chance for mistakes.
“In this game, we didn’t see mistakes, but when we did, the team knew how to resolve the situation. The same in the switch of plays.
“We did this better in the previous game than today, but during this switch of play, when we lost the ball, the team immediately corrected it.”
Phillips has quickly picked up where he left off last season, continuing the fine vein of form that saw him named in the Championship Team of the Season.
United are in talks to extend their Thorp Arch graduate’s deal, which expires in 2021.
As performances go by, the club looked even more vindicated by their decision to place a £30m valuation on the midfielder’s head.
They’ll be hoping that same stance will keep the Premier League vultures away in January, as they hope to secure automatic promotion this season.
