Kalvin Phillips sends warm thanks to Bielsa after Leeds' sacking

After

s verdict to break ways with their head coach,

has expressed his respect to Marcelo Bielsa. 

Following Saturday's 4-0 home loss to Tottenham, Leeds announced Bielsa's departure on Sunday. 

That result followed a 6-0 thrashing at Liverpool, a 4-2 defeat at Manchester United, and a 3-0 defeat at Everton who are in the bottom three.

Leeds have now lost five of their past six

fixtures since defeating West Ham in January, and have surrendered 20 goals in the top tier in February — the highest by a top-level team in England since Newcastle in April 1986 (21) – putting them only two points over the relegation zone. 

Phillips was a key player for Leeds during Bielsa's first three seasons in charge, with his capacity to stabilize the midfield allowing the Whites to surge forward in attack as they won promotion to the Premier League and finished ninth in 2020-21. 

Only four players have played more games in all competitions under Bielsa (131), Phillips 

:

"Thank you Marcelo for everything you have done for me.

"You saw in me what I didn’t even see in myself. You helped me grow as a player but most importantly as a person.

"Wishing you all the best in your next chapter. Gracias Marcelo. Vamos Leeds Carajo!!"

Phillips' deft passing and switch-of-play abilities were also important to Bielsa, with the England international averaging over 80% passing accuracy and winning over 50% of his duels in each of his three seasons with the 66-year-old boss. 

However, with the 26-year-old – who has been tipped with a transfer away from his childhood club – sidelined by injury, his impact has been severely missed this season. 

Phillips has only made 15 appearances for Leeds this season and hasn't played since December due to a thigh injury. He'll be back next month, and he'll be crucial to the Whites' chances of surviving under a new coach.

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