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Elliott Jackson

Raphinha inclusion delights Leeds United fans as Kalvin Phillips returns to face Arsenal

Leeds United fans are voiced their excitement to have Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha in the starting XI to face Arsenal.

Phillips hasn't featured for the Whites since their 1-0 defeat to Wolves last month.

Since, a win at Aston Villa was followed up with back-to-back 4-1 defeat to Leicester City and Crystal Palace before the international break.

Phillips was initially ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder complaint, which meant the away fixtures against Chelsea on December 5 was a more realistic target but he has returned ahead of schedule and lines up to face the Gunners.

With Rodrigo Moreno also back in the matchday squad after testing positive for COVID-19, Leeds look a much stronger outfit than the side beaten at Selhurst Park, much to Leeds fans' delight, with summer signing Raphinha also making his first start.

Prior to the match, Marcelo Bielsa admitted it was vital to have the Whites' star midfielder back in the fold.

"Phillips is a player who usually plays," he told the press.

"The players who play regularly, it's always important to count on them. The evolution of Phillips is a constant one, not due to what I’m proposing, but because he has a lot of capacity to analyse and also criticise himself.

"He finds what he needs to improve and correct in his game. And he does this by himself.

"He is a player with a big capacity to recover the ball. He's a midfielder who is able to find passes which are not normal for someone.

"To give an example, it’s difficult to find a defensive midfielder who can give a pass like Phillips gave Harrison in the first game of the season against Liverpool.

"That kind of pass, an offensive midfielder is more likely to give to you. It's very difficult to find it in a defensive midfielder."

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