SHERWOOD: YOUR TIME WILL COME JACK... MINE DID!
Tough-tackling Phillips in the right place at the right time for England... just as he was when Leeds signed him aged 14
TIM SHERWOOD says Jack Grealish should not lose one minute’s sleep over his latest England snub.
Aston Villa skipper Grealish (above) was widely expected to be called into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming Nations League games.
But Sherwood, who gave the 24-year-old his first Premier League start when he was Villa boss, says the mercurial midfielder just needs to keep his head down and wait.
He saw Grealish up close during his eight-month spell in charge at Villa Park and says he is the nearest thing to Paul Gascoigne he’s seen.
And Sherwood (below) knows the heartache of waiting for a Three Lions call – he was 30 when he finally made his debut despite skippering Blackburn to the Premier League title in 1995.
Sherwood said: “Jack’s been unfortunate because Gareth can’t pick everyone. He says Jack’s unfortunate because of the likes of Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling. But he’s more in the bracket of Phil Foden and Mason Mount. They’re the two he should be being compared with.
“Jack just needs to stick with it. He is the nearest thing to Gazza I’ve seen. Gazza is the most difficult opponent I ever played against.
“Jack has that same outstanding ability and audacity with the ball.”
Grealish represented the Republic of Ireland up to Under-21 level but then switched his allegiance to England – and Sherwood says he should not consider another U-turn.
He added: “If I was Jack I wouldn’t be thinking of switching back to Ireland. He’s made his mind up and he just has to be patient.
“I know how hard that can be. I won the title with Blackburn. I was in incredible form and thought I was one of the best players around.
“Yet I must have been called up 28 times and never got picked until I moved to Tottenham.
“It’s not ideal but all Jack can do is get on with it and not sulk and I don’t think he’ll do that. His chance will come.
“It might come through an injury crisis or whatever but once Gareth sees how good he is, how he dribbles and draws players with his pace, he’ll be up and running.”
KALVIN PHILLIPS’ England call-up before he has kicked a ball in the Premier League is not the first time he has been in the right place at the right time.
Phillips was signed by Leeds in 2010, aged 14, after they spotted him at a local youth tournament he had originally gone along to watch.
He had just got back from holiday and went straight to support his mates at Wortley Juniors when a couple of injuries gave him his unexpected chance.
Phillips made a crunching tackle – now familiar to all Leeds fans – right in front of Whites scout Sonny Sweeney, who played under Don Revie in the 1960s.
Phillips’ former Wortley coach Ian Thackray recalled: “His family came home from holiday on the day we started a tournament and Kalvin turned up to watch.
“We’d had a couple of injuries and the lads wanted him to play. One even gave him his kit, so I relented and put him on.
“A Leeds scout was wandering up the touchline at the time and Kalvin tackled this young kid right in front of him.
“The lad went flying up in the air, the ball rolled away and Kalvin sort of dragged it back while he was on the floor.
“He pushed it behind him and hit a ball with his right foot out to the opposite wing and we were on the attack.
“I got a phone call a week later asking for his details – and the rest, as they say, is history.
“In any walk of life, you have to be in the right place at the right time.
“If Kalvin hadn’t turned up after his holiday he might never have signed for Leeds.”
Phillips, 24, who grew up in Armley, near Elland Road, as one of triplets, comes from a family of Leeds fans and had Alan Smith’s name on his Whites shirt as a kid. He was a late developer and many clubs overlooked him, including Newcastle United, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Leeds initially, before that afternoon when he caught Sweeney’s eye.
His secondary school also doubted him and tried to warn his mum against letting him pursue a career as a footballer when she told them he needed time off because he was offered a scholarship by Leeds.
Phillips, who qualifies for Jamaica through his dad and was offered the chance to play for them, progressed through Leeds ranks and made his debut under Neil Redfearn against Wolves in April 2015.
Marcelo Bielsa has had the greatest impact on him and the
Leeds head coach had the vision to marry together his tenacious tackling and fine passing to convert him into a holding midfielder.
Gareth Southgate noted Phillips’ key role in Leeds’ Championshipwinning campaign and now he can become only the eighth player in the last 40 years to represent England before playing in the top flight.
It’s another unexpected chance, which he intends to seize.
“I never thought, years before, that I’d be in this position,” said Phillips. “It’s a massive thing for me and a massive thing for my family.
“It’s a big step – and it’s one I’m going to try and take.”
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