Phillips proving academy's worth

Adam Pope, BBC Radio Leeds

England boss Gareth Southgate lavished praise on Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Wednesday's draw with Poland, saying: “The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team."

Much has been said about Phillips' meteoric rise under Whites' head coach Marcelo Bielsa - but huge credit has to go to the Leeds United Academy for helping put him onto the international radar even prior to having kicked a ball in the Premier League. The 25-year-old is, according to Southgate, "a really important part of this – we’re 16 games unbeaten [in regulation time] now and he’s been a huge part of that.”

His development has been incredible from the moment Neil Redfearn gave him his club debut at 19 - but the roots lie deeper with the work at Thorp Arch, where he honed his skills from a young age and where others continue to do so.

As Phillips was earning his 17th cap for England, a very young Leeds United under-23s side narrowly lost to Wigan Athletic in the Premier League Cup. The team included six debutants - 19-year-old Alfie Hughes, 17-year-olds Harvey Sutcliffe and Morten Spencer, 16-year-olds Conor Ferguson and Ben Andreucci, and former United player Frank Gray's grandson Archie, aged just 15.

Phillips may be the shine on the academy's polish but, with so many youngsters away on international youth duty, including Charlie Cresswell and Joe Gelhardt with England, it is a credit to the club's infrastructure that an inexperienced squad can step up and play beyond their years and compete when called upon.

Hear Phillips' post-match interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on BBC Sounds