Kalvin Phillips says he was 'devasted' to see his old club Leeds United relegated last season and is backing them to make an immediate return to the Premier League. The England midfielder came through the ranks at his hometown club and established himself as a key player for Leeds before joining Manchester City last summer in a deal that could be worth up to £45m.
His first year at the Etihad was marred by a series of injuries, but it still turned out to be a memorable campaign as City won the coveted Treble - the Champions League, the Premier League, and FA Cup. But there was sadness for Phillips on the final day of the Premier League season as news filtered through that his boyhood team Leeds had been relegated, with Everton's win against Bournemouth condemning both the Whites and Leicester City to the drop.
"I was devastated," said Phillips of Leeds' relegation, in an interview with the BBC to promote his forthcoming Amazon Prime documentary Kalvin Phillips: The Road to City. "I knew, obviously, it was going down to the wire and I was very nervous for them.
"I tried to send a few positive messages through to the team and my friends there, but sadly they went down.
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"I know they've got an amazing club there and an amazing team there, and hopefully they will come straight back up which would be very nice."
Phillips also said it was a difficult decision for him to leave Leeds last summer, and says he still misses the Elland Road fans. He said: "It was a very tough decision [to leave ] because I had been there so many years.
"I love Leeds and still miss the fans now and all the people at the club but I'm very happy I've made the decision to go to City. It was a great decision for me as I got to win the Treble, which was amazing for me."
Phillips' injury woes meant he did not play as many games as he would have liked last term, but he is now fully-fit and looking forward to the new campaign. He said of his first 12 months at City: "It has been a very tough time, it's been a tough season with all the injuries and getting used to a new team and a new manager and a new way of playing, but we topped it off with the Treble which was a very nice feeling.
"I had a dislocated shoulder that happened seven weeks before the World Cup so it was a race against time to be fit for that, and beforehand I had had problems with my hamstring as well. They were different injuries occurring, but now I feel really good.
"The Man City team, the England team, have helped me a lot to get back to full fitness and I feel really good for the new season coming."
