Classy Phillips offers optimism for Blades amid “fabulous” Man City transfer hint
It was an evening of undoubted frustration for Sheffield United but Monday evening’s defeat to new league leaders Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane did at least bring one positive in the shape of Kalvin Phillips’ debut for the Blades. The England international signed on loan from Manchester City on deadline day.
He was ineligible for last week’s win over Oxford United but made his first appearance in red and white off the bench against Boro, showing both some signs of his undoubted class and his understandable ring-rust.
It was only Phillips’ second appearance of the season and the most competitive football he has played since last May when his loan spell in the Premier League with Ipswich Town came to an end.
And more opportunities are expected to present themselves in the coming weeks after fellow new signing Joe Rothwell was sent off on his debut, just 35 minutes after coming off the bench, for a late tackle on Hayden Hackney.
Rothwell had replaced Oliver Arblaster at the break, with the returning starlet suffering from illness in a tough first half for him and fellow academy product Sydie Peck, while the impending return of the classy Jairo Riedewald from an injury absence will further boost United’s options in the middle of the park.
Classy Kalvin Phillips offers Sheffield United reason for optimism as Chris Wilder drops “fabulous” Man City transfer hint
“I thought the two midfield players were off it tonight,” admitted Wilder afterwards. “Ollie was ill first-half so he had to come off at half-time but I thought he was off the pace, and Sid was off the pace as well.
“They're playing against two really good players in there but once Kalvin got on the pitch, he gave us a boost. We’re just disappointed we're losing Joe now, for three games. But we've got to get on with it.”
It was an incongruous start to life at the Lane for Rothwell after the Blades’ long pursuit paid off on the final day of the window, but his Blades career will not be defined by one mistimed tackle that spoke as much to a slight lack of match sharpness as months of frustration north of the border at Rangers.
But the sight of Phillips in a United shirt can only bode well for the months ahead, with the on-loan City man desperate to get his career going and prove exactly why he commanded a £45m transfer fee when he left his boyhood club Leeds United less than four years ago.
As we reported at the time of his transfer, City agreed to subsidise the majority of Phillips’ Etihad salary in order to facilitate the move back to his native Yorkshire and Wilder admitted the deal is a “fabulous one” from United’s perspective.
“The situation with Joe opens it up a little bit,” he admitted. “We’ve got Jairo coming back as well, so we’ve got tough decisions to be making as well. Joe was a long-term target for us and we were spinning the plate with Calvin until it came up late on deadline day.
“The deal is a fabulous deal from our point of view and the infliuence he’s had has been good. So he’ll be involved at the weekend [at Portsmouth] and get some more minutes. It feels like a little bit of a step back but if you’re going to lose, go out of the front door instead of the back door.
“And I think we did that. I was critical of how we played but at the same time the margins were tight and it could quite easily have been something else. But we look at ourselves and we just have to be better.
“But it was great to get Kalvin on the pitch and I think we showed what he’s about. He’s going to be a big player for us.”
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