Presenter Joe Wainman has rubbished rumours which questioned the fitness of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips at the start of the season.

What's the latest news involving Phillips?

After starting every game for England during their run to the Euro 2020 final earlier this summer, Phillips returned to club training later than the majority of his teammates, and was subsequently left on the bench for their opening match of the new season against Manchester United.

Following that clash, which Leeds lost 5-1, former Aston Villa striker Andy Townsend claimed that he had heard whispers of Phillips not being in the best condition for the trip to Old Trafford.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Townsend said: "There's been some rumours, and I have no idea whether they're justified or whatever, that he was a bit overweight when he came back from after the summer."

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What has Joe Wainman said about Phillips?

Wainman was recently asked about whether there was any truth to these rumours surrounding Phillips' weight when he returned for pre-season. His response was emphatic.

Wainman said: “Not buying it. I don’t agree with it – not a chance. There’s no chance that happened, no way. Would he have had time to get overweight from playing in the final? It was just silly social media. Yeah, I’m not having it. There’s no way.

“Kalvin Phillips is a consummate professional. He was made captain against Crewe. If someone comes back overweight, they’re not around. Look at Poveda, something went on under the ground that he’s now on loan. It just wouldn’t have happened, not for me.”

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Has Phillips shown any signs of struggling to get back up to speed this season?

Since the opening day of the season, Phillips has started both of Leeds' league matches, with the team picking up successive draws against Everton and Burnley.

His displays in those two fixtures have been a little below-par by his standards, as he has been given an average WhoScored rating of 6.51 so far this term, meaning that he is currently ranked down in 11th place when compared with his teammates. This suggests that he has been a little off the pace in recent weeks.

However, he was back to somewhere near his best for England in their encounter with Hungary last Thursday. The 25-year-old made four tackles - no other player on the pitch completed more - on his way to a WhoScored rating of 7.16.

This performance indicated that he is returning to the level that he reached last season, and he now looks poised to hit the ground running when Leeds return to league action against Liverpool on Sunday.