Kalvin Phillips picked Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount as the one England teammate he’d take at Leeds United.
Speaking on the England YouTube channel, Phillips was asked to choose which of his Three Lions colleges he’d bring into Marcelo Bielsa’s team.
Gareth Southgate has selected some of the Premier League’s finest assets to compete at the European Championships.
So many to options, so little time
Manchester City’s title winning side are well represented; a few of Manchester United’s Europa League finalists are in the camp; Golden Boot winner Harry Kane is available.
Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Bukayo Saka all enjoyed excellent individual seasons.
Southgate can even call upon La Liga champion Kieran Trippier, or Borussia Dortmund’s sensational young pairing of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
Mount makes the cut
But Phillips opted for one of Chelsea’s Champions League victors to transfer across to Elland Road.
“I’d probably say Mason Mount,” said the Leeds man.
“Me and Mason get on quite well, but its just the way we (Leeds) play, the way he presses in his position.
“Some of the position he gets himself into would suit Leeds United.
“He would take the manager on board; take the way the manager works on board so quickly. Probably be a superstar if he came to Leeds.”
Ideal fit for Leeds
Bielsa’s high-intensity, breathless football could suit Mount down to the ground.
His work rate and energy is second to none- bar N’Golo Kante- within Chelsea’s camp.
He often springs the press for Thomas Tuchel’s team, a characteristic he’s brought across onto the international stage as well.
Phillips got his first real taste of playing alongside the 22-year-old during England’s 1-0 Euros win against Croatia last Saturday.
The pair, along with Rice, worked as a well organised, functioning midfield that rarely gave their opponents a chance to settle.
Putting them together at club level would be a very exciting proposition indeed.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
