Former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has the motivation to have a strong second season with Manchester City following his first goal for England. That's the verdict of midfield legend Steven Gerrard, who feels Phillips' 'high-class quality' will help him establish himself under Pep Guardiola.
Phillips has endured a frustrating first season at the Etihad after leaving Leeds United last summer. While he was able to celebrate an incredible treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League wins, the 27-year-old has not featured nearly as much as he would have liked,
However, he came off the bench for Gareth Southgate's England on Monday night to score the sixth goal in a 7-0 Euro qualifying win over North Macedonia at Old Trafford, and the watching Gerrard feels that can be a springboard for the coming campaign.
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"I think that will give him the motivation as well to come back and have a good pre-season," Gerrard said. "He will have had a frustrating season, but we all know he has high-class quality. We all know he will be desperate to go to the Euro’s next year and he will do that by having a fantastic season with Manchester City."
Former England and Chelsea star Joe Cole felt that staying fit was the key for Phillips' future success, adding: "It’ll be a special night for Kalvin Phillips. He has had a difficult time with injuries and he is one that Gareth (Southgate) will always look to, and he looked good tonight.
"He just needs to keep fit, and all he does is gambles - it’s a lovely ball from (Jack) Grealish and he will never get an easier goal in his career. It just put the cherry on top for someone to get their first goal and another popular member of the squad."
It was Phillips' first goal since August 2021 when he scored the first in Leeds' 3-0 League Cup win over Crewe Alexandra at Elland Road, Jack Harrison adding another two late strikes.
