Leeds United employee: Kalvin Phillips set for big boost after confirmed news
Noel Whelan has insisted being part of the England squad will do Kalvin Phillips “the world of good” after a “tough season” at Leeds United.
The former Leeds striker and club ambassador, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the 26-year-old would be boosted physically and mentally by being involved in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
As confirmed on Tuesday (24 May) Phillips has been called up by the Three Lions as they prepare to face Hungary, Germany and Italy over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
England will play four games during the fortnight of international fixtures, starting on 4 June and ending on 14 June.
After a season derailed by injury, Whelan insisted international duty would be a big boost for Phillips.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “It has been a tough season for him. Looking back from last season, all the way through the Euros, he’s not really had much respite.
“I think it sometimes it catches up with you, these little niggles and these injuries. It looks like he’s back into the swing of things now.
“This time with England will do him the world of good as well, confidence-wise and fitness-wise. This is probably the right time for him to come back and play these games.
“The fact he’s not played a huge amount of football at the back end of the season and Gareth still has that trust in him to bring him in and do a job shows a lot about the character and the player that Kalvin is.”
Phillips played 23 times across all competitions for Leeds during the 2021/22 campaign.
A hamstring injury saw him sidelined between early December and the end of April.
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