Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will be 'livid' after Kalvin Phillips' latest injury setback on international duty, according to Sky Sports Alex McLeish.
The Lowdown: Phillips injured for England
The Whites had to make do without the 26-year-old for much of the 2021/22 season, with injuries keeping him out of action for many months.
It no doubt played a part in Leeds' struggles in the Premier League, as they ended up remaining in the top flight by the skin of their teeth on the final day.
While Phillips returned to the fold late in the campaign, he has now picked up a 'severe dead leg' on England duty (Adam Pope, BBC), having been replaced in the first half against Germany earlier this week.
The Latest: Mcleish bemoans setback
Reacting to that news in a chat with Football Insider, McLeish, a pundit on Sky, rued Phillips' injury and said Marsch will not be amused:
"I think there has been an overload on the players over the last year. The pandemic had something to do with that but the amount of games and the demands on them nowadays…
"Okay, they’re training to different levels. The sport science enables them to recover quickly and there are more modern ways, nutrition, etcetera.
"I’ve said in the past, you fear for many of the players that are all-out action players. You wonder how they don’t get more injuries sometimes.
"We’ve spoken about Leeds and Patrick Bamford. The overloads that guy had was something that, I felt, needed to be looked at. The club managers will be livid about all these international games, believe me.
"They know the players love to play for their countries but the managers will be concerned. They’d rather keep them here."
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The Verdict: Hopefully nothing too serious
Phillips' injury a clearly a worry for Leeds but dead legs usually heal relatively quickly, so the hope is that his absence in the coming weeks is relatively short-term.
The Whites cannot afford to be without arguably their best player for chunks of the 2022/23 season, assuming he remains at Elland Road beyond the summer.
As McLeish alludes to, it does again raise question marks over the workload of footballers these days, though, with the current internationals coming at a time when players could be enjoying a much-needed rest.
In other news, Phil Hay has confirmed Leeds' interest in one player. Find out who it is here.