Alex Mowatt has insisted that he was sure that Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips had the ability to become a top player.
Phillips has taken giant strides as a player under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa since last year and had several Premier League clubs wanting to sign him this summer.
Leeds resisted big-money offers to keep the midfielder at Elland Road and he recently signed a new long term contract to move into the bracket of top earners at Elland Road.
Mowatt and Phillips played together in the Leeds academy and the current Barnsley star admits that the midfielder was one of the most technically gifted players he played with.
The former White credited Bielsa for getting the best out of Phillips in the role he has been playing in the team since last season.
“I always knew he had it in him”, Mowatt told The Athletic.
“He’s strong and he’s probably one of the technically best players I’ve played with.
“Under the new manager, in that position, it suits him to a ‘T’.
"He’s been unbelievable, hasn’t he?”
Phillips has a release clause in the new contract which would allow him to leave for a Premier League club next summer if Leeds do not earn promotion back to the top tier.
