Leeds players are scared of losing Kalvin Phillips, it’s claimed.
The midfielder has been instrumental for the Championship heavyweights this season despite being heavily linked with a transfer in the summer.
However, just as Leeds’ promotion charge looked back on track Marcelo Bielsa was left sweating after a major injury scare to his key man.
Phillips limped off in the first-half of Leeds’ 1-0 win over Reading.
The calf complaint won’t leave him sidelined for long, but ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan says it’s obvious his team-mates are scared of Phillips getting crocked.
“Kalvin went in for a really strong challenge, as he does and that is what we love about him but he has come off second best in this one,” Whelan told Football Insider .
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“A bad calf injury and a bit of a dead leg but nothing that will keep him out.
“He is vitally important. You could see the disappointment in the player’s faces, Stuart Dallas’s face sunk.
“You can see how important he is to everybody but they managed to get through without him which is a positive.
“This kid does not want to miss any games and we have seen when he does how much we do miss him.
“For club and player, it is massive that we get him on that field.”
Leeds are now five points clear of Fulham in third following their win over the Royals.
"It was a similar match to what we are used to playing,” Bielsa said in the aftermath.
“Generally we create more chances than the opponent, we have more possession than the opponent and today was this situation.
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"There was a situation in the last minute for them, the number six became a striker and that created confusion that maybe we could have solved from the bench.
"This player had a clear chance and it was a very important save by Kiko Casilla.
“For some time we were better than the opponent and the save had a big impact."
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