England international Kalvin Phillips might have opened the door to a controversial transfer to Manchester United from bitter rivals Leeds United.
Speculation over the 26-year-old and his Elland Road future remains high on the agenda as the Whites continue to battle Premier League relegation. Leeds also sacked manager and mentor Marcelo Bielsa soon after United beat his side heavily in west Yorkshire last month.
Phillips has been a notable absentee for parts of this season with a hamstring injury. That has restricted the 19-cap international to 15 appearances in all competitions.
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On the road to recovery, reports in the national media suggest Phillips is ready to assess his options this summer as Aston Villa and Saudi-backed Newcastle monitor his situation. United, too, were thought to be interested despite a complicated process brought about by the fierce rivalry which exists down the M62.
Eric Cantona and Alan Smith have looked beyond that divide in the past to complete moves to United. Given that Leeds are in danger of the drop, meanwhile, could previous comments from Phillips indicate he might follow suit in the event the Whites do go down?
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Speaking to GQ in 2021, he said: "I want to be a player that's got a lot of games to his name, but I want them to be games that mean something. I want to play in the Europa League and the Champions League. But I want to do that, ideally, with Leeds. And the way that we're heading, there's no reason why we shouldn't..."
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