Ian Wright believes that Kalvin Phillips should stay at Leeds United for a “while” before making a big-money move.
The 26-year-old has had a frustrating second season in the Premier League which has been heavily disrupted by a hamstring injury which saw him miss 14 games.
The England international made his first appearance in 2022 in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Southampton at Elland Road where he came off the bench in the second half.
The Whites have only lost three of the 13 Premier League games that Phillips has featured in this season, but their form has been dramatically different when the influential midfielder has been absent.
It led to Marcelo Bielsa losing his job and the West Yorkshire getting dragged into a relegation battle.
But after picking up seven points from a possible nine under Jesse Marsch, Leeds have pulled eight points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining.
But with the end of the season on the horizon, Phillips is aware of transfer interest in him from Newcastle.
The Daily Mail report that Leeds are braced for bids for their number 23 when the summer window opens in June.
The report says that West Ham saw two bids around £55million rejected in January for the man who partnered Declan Rice at the European Championships.
But former England and Arsenal striker Wright feels that Phillips should resist making a big-money move this summer after an injury-ravaged campaign.
Speaking on his podcast ‘Wrighty’s House’, the pundit said: “He should stay for a while. He’s somebody who is going to be courted, because of the way he has played and how good he is in that position.
“He’s someone who is going to be integral in the future for England.
“At some stage of course he’s going to want to play at the levels where he can play in the Champions League, because that’s what his talent deserves but for now, after the time he’s been injured, go back to Leeds, get Leeds back to where we saw them when they first came into the league.”