Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge thinks Leeds have struggled badly to cope without Kalvin Phillips in recent weeks.

The 19-cap international suffered a hamstring injury in early December against Brentford, and has not played for Marcelo Bielsa's men since.

How have Leeds fared without Phillips?

Phillips has missed Leeds' last nine Premier League matches, and they have found it very difficult to pick up points in his absence.

The Yorkshire-based club have lost six of those games, shipping four goals against Arsenal and Manchester United, while they also conceded seven during a thrashing at the hands of Manchester City in December.

They did show glimpses of a revival when they won their opening two top-flight fixtures of 2022 against Burnley and West Ham, yet they have only gained a single point in their subsequent four matches.

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What has Bridge said about Phillips?

Following Sunday's 4-2 defeat to United, Leeds now sit just five points above the relegation zone, and they must be looking nervously over their shoulders.

Bridge believes losing Phillips to injury just before the turn of the year was a huge blow for the team.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “They’ve really missed Kalvin Phillips in that middle. Wow.”

Is Phillips set to return soon?

Thankfully for Leeds, that does seem to be the case.

They have also had to deal with injuries to the likes of Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford this season, but Phillips has arguably been the member of the side that they have missed the most.

Leeds have been unable to control the middle of the park without Phillips, and that proved to be their undoing against United on the weekend as the Red Devils came on strong in the final quarter of the match, breaking through the midfield with ease and scoring twice in the final 20 minutes at Elland Road.

The £36m-rated midfielder will not be ready to feature against Liverpool on Wednesday, but it is understood that he is targeting a return to action in the first week of March.

Barring any setbacks, it should now be a matter of days before he is back in the squad, and Leeds will be keeping everything crossed that he can stay healthy to help them stave off the threat of relegation over the coming months.