Seven years ago today, Kalvin Phillips made his professional debut for Leeds United. Then manager Neil Redfearn showed confidence in youth by drafting the 19-year-old into his side for the trip to Wolves in 2015.
Both clubs were in the Championship at the time, with Leeds languishing in mid-table and Wolves hopeful of securing a playoff spot after their 4-3 victory. The start of his career may have ended in defeat but there was plenty of promise shown from the debutant who would later become an England regular.
Another player who played that day is former Whites defender Gaetano Berardi. The Swiss international joined Leeds just nine months earlier and saw Phillips rise through the ranks at Elland Road to develop into the £60million-rated midfielder he is today.
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Reflecting on Phillips’ debut to Sky Sports during Euro 2020 - a tournament the Leeds native starred in - Berardi said: "I remember the game. We lost 4-3. It was a crazy game and, of course, we could see from the start that he was a really good player but especially the first experience he had with the club, he was really young.
"(Over)the next (few) years, he started to learn, to train hard. He was a good guy then and he's the same guy now. He deserves what he has achieved in the last year and what he is doing now."
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