Exclusive: "There is no doubt" - Sky Sports pundit backs Leeds United to land Kalvin Phillips return | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie believes a return to Leeds could work well for Kalvin Phillips.

Former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie believes a return to Leeds United next season could be a “good fit” for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

It was reported by The Sun recently that Leeds scouts have been tracking the progress of their former star during his loan spell at Ipswich this season, with the view to potentially bringing him back to Elland Road.

Phillips spent 12 years with the club where he made his first strides in senior football, before leaving to join Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for up to £45million.

However, since his switch to Manchester, the 29-year-old has struggled badly to find both form and gametime and this season’s Ipswich loan has been his second spell away from the Etihad Stadium in as many years, having spent time with West Ham last term.

Lee Hendrie claims Leeds United return could be ideal for Kalvin Phillips

Having spent so long at his boyhood club, it was always going to be a challenge for Phillips to adapt to life away from Elland Road.

In the end, since he got his big move back in 2022, he has struggled to replicate the form that saw him become such a hot property in the first place.

His spell with Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich has at least seen him get games under his belt once again this season, but the Tractor Boys look doomed to an immediate return to the Championship.

Despite being held away at QPR on Saturday lunchtime, Leeds remain in a strong position to secure a Premier League return, which could potentially offer Phillips a route back into an environment where he performed so well in the past.

Ex-player turned pundit Lee Hendrie believes it could be a move that re-vitalises Phillips.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, the former Aston Villa and England man said: “Since he (Phillips) left Leeds, he hasn’t been the same player for obvious reasons – injuries and then not getting game-time with Manchester City.

“He’s gone to Ipswich, and I think that’s what he needed. This season it was key that he got game-time to get anywhere near his best, and he has done.

'There is no doubt he has quality - you don’t move from Leeds to Man City for no reason at all. He was linked with lots of clubs, and he probably had a handful of choices.

“The opportunity of maybe Leeds getting back into the Premier League, it might just be a good fit for him to go back and, knowing Leeds very well, he could just slot back in there.

“But, I think this season has been so key for him to get back to being match-fit and obviously seeing him playing again has been brilliant.”

A Leeds United return could get Kalvin Phillips back to his best - even if it would be expensive

It is no surprise to see Phillips linked with a Leeds return once again, given how well he performed for the Whites before his step-up to Manchester City.

The all-action midfielder played a crucial role in Marcelo Bielsa’s relentless style of play, helping the club to promotion back to the top flight for the first time since 2004, before then featuring heavily as they re-established themselves at English football’s top table.

With the way the last few years have gone for Phillips, it’s easy to forget that he was a regular in the England midfield as recently as the 2022 World Cup. It was his Leeds form that first saw him break into the Three Lions squad and, since his departure from the Yorkshire outfit, he has struggled to force his way back into the international fold.

After proving that he can still bring quality to a team in the Premier League this season, Phillips definitely has the potential to be just as effective as he was previously, if he was to move back to Leeds.