There have been many recent Prodigal Son cases in English football. Gareth Bale and Tottenham, Wayne Rooney and Everton, Cristiano Ronaldo and a team that plays in red.
All turned out to have the same final chapter - it wasn’t as good as it was before. Some have actually turned out to be downright mistakes.
There is a lot of romanticism around a potential return to Elland Road for Kalvin Phillips - the local boy done good who grew to become a Treble winner. Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League medals hang from his cabinet. But clearly, that does not nearly tell the true parable.
The hunt for fame and fortune can be completed - but at what cost? Much like the son in the Bible story, Phillips has wound up stuck in the mud longing for a return of the old days.
Except, in this case, boyhood club Leeds United might not have their arms wide open for his return. Times change, circumstances alter and the game grows. Phillips has, unfortunately, stagnated at best.
The midfielder started the Euro 2020 final in 2021 but three years on, he would be watching England take on Spain from an armchair out of sight. What has unfolded is an almighty shame.
Pep Guardiola publicly apologised to Phillips for being unable to get the best out of him at Manchester City, crediting his attitude amidst it all. When signed in 2022, he was supposed to come in as a challenger and, at the very least, a back up to Rodri.
But when the 2024 Euros champion and Ballon d'Or winner suffered injury earlier this season, Phillips was not called upon. Instead, he had already been sent out to ply his trade with the Tractor Boys at Ipswich Town at the other end of the table on loan. This followed a horrid loan spell at West Ham United during the second half of last season.
In his first two years at Man City, Phillips played only 31 matches and started just two Premier League games. Guardiola had labelled him ‘overweight’ upon his return from the 2022 World Cup - a somewhat, let's say, ominous statement.
Guardiola also later publicly apologised to Phillips for those comments. It’s been a brutal few years in Manchester for such a kindhearted character. If anyone deserved such turmoil, it wasn’t him. But that doesn’t mean United are a rescue club.
He will always have a special place in the club history books and in the hearts of supporters, but the reaction to the links of a potential return has been very clear. Thanks, but no thanks.
Furthermore, his current salary is a big stumbling block for Leeds. Club sources have indicated that his wages - thought to be more than £150,000 a week - are beyond what could be afforded.
It seems very unlikely that Kalvin Phillips will be heading back to Leeds United this summer
It seems very unlikely that Kalvin Phillips will be heading back to Leeds United this summer (Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The top brass very much know that they will have to make every penny count upon a potential return to the Premier League and will have to cut their cloth accordingly within spending limits.
Due their seasons in the Championship, United would only be allowed to lose £61million over the upcoming three-year cycle. Contrast that with the £105m cap for those who have been in the Premier League for all three years, the size of the task becomes evident.
So, a move for Phillips is ‘highly unlikely’ and means United have a simple decision to make in this regard. And frankly, Daniel Farke and Leeds need better.
Phillips is due to be part of a side that will get relegated to the Championship, having started 14 of his 17 Premier League appearances. He’s yet to win a league game he has started since May 2023.
Of course, the overall quality of the team plays a massive impact on how well a player does but Phillips has hardly been a shining light. Could he be a squad player for Leeds? Perhaps. A starter? Surely not.
He will be neither unless he is willing to take a significant pay cut, or unless some sort of financially-beneficial loan deal can be agreed. Even then, Man City - whom currently have Phillips on their books until 2028 - will want the receiving club to burden some of his wages.
That would still be a risk on United's part, especially when they can use that money towards a permanent acquisition and retain long term squad value. There are options out there that might do better for less.
All of this is to underline how much of a pity the situation is. Few could begrudge Phillips taking the opportunity to jump ship to get his hands on elite silverware. Even fewer could have foreseen his demise.
But this is the reality of football, where sentimentality is cherished but only if the price, the quality and the circumstances are right.
In reality, Phillips will always be welcomed back home at Elland Road - but more likely as a VIP guest, a much-loved long-lost son of years gone by, than a returning summer signing.