Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Tom Heaton in the recently concluded summer transfer window. While there is no denying that those acquisitions have certainly improved the squad, they still need to sign someone to play in the middle of the park.
The club were believed to be looking for a defensive midfielder this summer, but ultimately did not end up signing one. Declan Rice was the name most heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent times.
But with West Ham United believed to rate him at higher than £100 million, it is not hard to see why such a move didn’t happen. As a result, when it comes to defensive midfield, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Fred remain the most likely options.
Another player that Manchester United have been linked with is Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips. As reported by the Daily Star, he is valued at a transfer fee in the region of £60 million.
Manchester United have been linked with Phillips for a while now
Since Leeds United got promoted to the Premier League, Phillips has been one of their key players. In fact, he has been so impressive that he has been able to nail down a spot in the England national team.
Nicknamed ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’ by the fans of the club, Phillips plays in a defensive midfield role for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. In the defensive phase, he acts as a shield to their back four while going forward, his impressive range of passing allows him to play like a deep-lying playmaker.
Phillips has spent his entire senior career at Leeds United till now, having come through their youth academy.
Manchester United have a history of signing players from Leeds United. The two most famous examples are that of Rio Ferdinand and Eric Cantona. It remains to be seen if they can add Phillips to that list in the future.