‘Gobsmacked’: Kalvin Phillips shares what really shocked him the first time he trained with Declan Rice
Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice were, once upon a time, England’s first-choice midfield pairing. Back at Euro 2020, Phillips and Rice were Gareth Southgate’s most...
Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice were, once upon a time, England’s first-choice midfield pairing.
Back at Euro 2020, Phillips and Rice were Gareth Southgate’s most trusted lieutenants in the middle of the park, and they complemented each other so well.
Rice and Phillips worked brilliantly in tandem as England reached the final of that tournament, and while it’s been a while since they played together, there’s still a real mutual feeling of respect between the two men.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Phillips has been discussing the Arsenal star, and he had nothing but good things to say about Rice.
Kalvin Phillips praises Declan Rice
The Manchester City loanee spoke highly of his former England teammate.
Phillips claimed that Rice is an unbelievable player, while he reminisced on how surprised he was when the pair first trained together.
Indeed, Phillips says that he was gobsmacked by just how athletic Rice was when he first played alongside him.
“Dec is unbelievable, the first time I trained with him at England I could tell he was just a player who was going to go, straight away, he was just an athlete, I didn’t expect him to be so tall, so strong and when I got there I was gobsmacked by how good he was with the ball, how he covered ground, how much ground he covered, I love Declan,” Phillips said.
What Xavi said about Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice
Just a few years ago, Rice and Phillips were combining as one of the best midfield pairings in all of Europe.
Indeed, England were perhaps at their best when Phillips and Rice were in the same team, and they even drew praise from Barcelona legend Xavi.
Xavi was massively impressed by Rice and Phillips at that European Championships.
“I have also been hugely impressed by the two midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. I did not know them that well, but they were superb,” Xavi said.
Rice has since hit higher and higher heights since joining Arsenal, while Phillips has struggled out on loan at West Ham and he’s now looking to rebuild at Ipswich.
Hopefully, Phillips can get back to his best during this spell with The Tractor Boys as he and Rice were once a vital component of an England team that came so close to winning a major tournament.
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