Leeds Live journalist Joe Donnohue feels Kalvin Phillips is still underappreciated at club and international level.

The 25-year-old missed England's last two international matches and Leeds' trip to Southampton earlier this month through injury, and it seems he was missed by both sides.

What's the latest news involving Phillips?

Phillips has had a disrupted start to the season at Leeds. Having returned for pre-season training late after his exploits with England at the Euros, he was only fit enough to make the bench for their opening day 5-1 defeat to Manchester United.

He then played six straight games for the team as they managed to pick up one win and three draws from these games. 

However, he suffered a calf strain earlier this month, and was unavailable for England's matches against Andorra and Hungary, plus Leeds' 1-0 loss to Southampton.

The 17-cap international was back on the bench this past weekend, but was only able to watch on from the sidelines as Leeds were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves.

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What has Donnohue said about Phillips?

With Phillips sitting out multiple games recently, Donnohue has been able to see how Leeds and England cope without the midfielder. 

He believes that the two teams struggling in his absence shows just how important Phillips is to his club and country.

Donnohue told GIVEMESPORT: “Kalvin Phillips, I still think goes somewhat under the radar for how integral he is to the teams that he plays in.”

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Does Phillips get the credit he deserves?

Phillips, who Transfermarkt value at £36m, has failed to feature in five matches for club and country this term. It is telling that these sides have won just one of those games, and that was England cruising to a 5-0 victory over European minnows Andorra.

Leeds were completely outplayed by United and Southampton when Phillips was not playing, and this should not be considered a coincidence.

Furthermore, he was badly missed by England when they took on Hungary at Wembley. Gareth Southgate named an attacking line-up for that fixture, but the balance of the side looked all wrong, as Hungary caused the Three Lions all sorts of problems on the counter-attack.

Phillips struck up a strong partnership with Declan Rice at the Euros, and it seems that this could be the pairing that is still together when England play at the World Cup next year.

The central midfielder rarely does anything particularly fancy, and perhaps that is why his contribution is often overlooked. However, the past few weeks have shown just how vital he is to the success of his club and country. 

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