Ahead of England taking on Scotland at Euro 2020, Ashley Cole has admitted to underestimating Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Cole became embroiled in a Twitter debate with Leeds fans after an opinion he gave during his work with ITV. Now, Cole admits he misjudged Phillips and Leeds fans reacted on Twitter.
The 25-year-old has been excellent for England so far in Euro 2020. He lasted the 90 minutes against Croatia and while he laid on the assist for Raheem Sterling, he was also brilliant in the England engine room. His efforts kept the star-studded Croatia midfield at bay.
That midfield included Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, Inter Milan’s experienced Marcelo Brozovic and the impressive Mateo Kovacic. But they were no match for the combination of Phillips, Declan Rice and Mason Mount. But Cole was not initially impressed, before Scotland.
What are Leeds fans saying, as Cole changes opinion on Phillips?
Since then, Phillips starred for England. He earned the man-of-the-match award in the win over Croatia and is now nailed on to start against Scotland. It is believed he will continue to partner Declan Rice in the middle of the park – behind Mason Mount.
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Speaking on the ITV podcast ahead of Scotland’s clash against England, Cole admitted that he got Phillips wrong: “I underestimated him, if, I’m brutally honest, I know he has a lot of quality. Dictates the play from deeper areas. He is everywhere. He has every range of pass in his locker.”
Leeds fans reacted on Twitter to his comments: