Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford says he has told the Whites' current players 'not to let' Kalvin Phillips leave the club this summer. 

The lowdown

Beckford made more appearances for Leeds between 2006 and 2010 (151) than he did for any other club in his professional career. Now 38, the Englishman was something of an Elland Road hero, impressively bagging 85 goals for the Whites.

Phillips has two years to run on his contract at Leeds, but the club have yet to make significant progress toward an extension.

The midfielder is now reportedly attracting interest from some of the Premier League's big hitters, including Manchester United, Manchester City and, most recently, Liverpool.

The latest

Speaking to the Sunday Express, as quoted by MOT Leeds News, Beckford said he had urged Leeds players to do whatever they could to persuade Phillips to stay put.

He revealed: "As it stands, I've spoken to one or two other lads and told them not to let Kalvin go, and to handcuff to the crossbar if they have to!"

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The verdict

You can understand why Beckford is desperate for Leeds to keep hold of Phillips.

The 26-year-old one of his country's best footballers, earning England's Player of the Year award for 2021 ahead of Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount. Also, 24% of Leeds fans also voted him as their Player of the Year, which left him second only to Raphinha.

His influence and industry in Jesse Marsch's midfield is evidenced by his match averages of 2.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, placing him joint-second and fifth in the Elland Road squad for those respective metrics, as per WhoScored.

The Whites stayed up by the skin of their teeth in 2021/22, usurping Burnley for 17th place on the final day, but they could be fearful that losing key players like the England midfielder might land them in trouble again next season.

In other news, further talks are planned over this potential Leeds transfer