Alex McLeish has predicted a Manchester United move for Leeds United’s midfield ace Kalvin Phillips next summer.
In a recent interview with Football Insider, Alex McLeish was asked to comment on Kalvin Phillips’s future at Leeds United. The former Scotland manager thinks the homegrown Yorkshire midfielder could be set for a big-money move to Manchester United, claiming that an offer from the Premier League giants will be difficult to turn down.
It is apparent that Phillips is one of the most in-demand players in the English market right now, following an excellent 2020/21 campaign. He was an integral part of England’s Euro 2020 squad that went all the way to the final while he was also voted as England’s men’s player of the year last season.
Phillips’s extraordinary success has put multiple English giants on red alert including Manchester United. A native of Leeds, the midfielder does maintain that he enjoys playing for his hometown club.
But Alex McLeish believes that Phillips could be on the move next summer regardless. The 62-year-old, who has managed clubs like Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest as well as the Scottish national team, believes that it will be difficult on the player’s part to turn down an offer from Manchester United, ultimately compelling him to make the move.
“It will be tough for him to turn it down, 100%,” McLeish told Football Insider. He then went on to cite Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City as an ideal example of players being forced to move away from their hometown club in favour of more money.
“Jack Grealish was a fan of Aston Villa all his life, but he had his head turned by a dominant club like Manchester City. It’s the same thing – if United come and go all the way with their interest, it is hard for him to stay,” he added.
As the reports suggest, Manchester United are certainly in the market for Kalvin Phillips next summer. In fact, they are reportedly prepared to move on from their top target Declan Rice to prioritise a move for the Leeds United ace, who they feel can offer more to the table due to his passing quality and ability to control the game.
The Englishman, though, has had a difficult start to the season, with Leeds United registering just one victory in the opening seven matches That said, there were encouraging signs in the win over Watford and the player will certainly look to get back to form during the international break this month.
