Mourinho names Leeds United star as standout player for England in Euro 2020 win over Croatia

Mourinho names Leeds United star as standout player for England in Euro 2020 win over Croatia

Oluwatomiwa Babalola
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:42 PM
  • Jose Mourinho was highly impressed with Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips for his superb display against Croatia
  • The midfielder orchestrated Raheem Sterling's second-half goal that handed the Three Lions outright victory
  • Phillips combination in the midfield outclassed the duo of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic in their Euro 2020 opener

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Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips was the standout performer for new Roma boss Jose Mourinho in England's 1-0 Euro 2020 win over Croatia at Wembley.

The 25-year-old assisted Raheem Sterling's only goal of the game in the 57th minute to cap an impressive display all through the encounter.

His partnership with Declan Rice saw the Three Lions control possession of the ball more than their opponent in the game.

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Phillips showed the quality he is made of despite facing Real Madrid's Lika Modric and Champions League Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.

Kalvin Phillips is standout player for Mourinho during England Euro 2020 opener against Croatia
Man of the moment Kalvin Phillips thanking fans for their support in England's Euro 2020 opener vs Croatia. Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA
Source: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Mourinho who is a pundit for Talk Sport for the Euro 2020 didn't wait to name Kalvin his best player of the encounter when he was asked.

Here's Jose Mourinho's comment about Kalvin Phillips performance

"Kalvin Phillips. He a player without international experience. He’s not a player that arrives from the Champions League, he doesn’t arrive with 20, 25 caps.
“He is a player that arrived last season from the Championship and of course he played the whole season in the most intense and difficult league in the world.
“He showed amazing personality. Rice was stable like he always is, but Phillips was more than stable.
“He showed that not just with the goal but also in the way he was pressing high, he was in a position side to side with Declan Rice but every time Modric or Kovacic were dropping, trying to go away from them, he was not afraid of pushing up and trying to press higher.
“I don’t remember him missing a pass in a dangerous building-up area. I think he was very, very good and when you see one of these young guys appearing in these big stages and performing the way he did, it is fantastic.”

The victory has however propelled Gareth Southgate's men to the summit of the Group D table before their next two games against the Czech Republic and Scotland.

Lingard spotted showing support for England despite being snubbed by Southgate

Legit.ng earlier reported that Manchester United star Jesse Lingard was spotted in a pub cheering England to victory in their Euro 2020 group opener against Croatia on Sunday, June 13.

The 28-year-old is among the players left out of the Three Lions squad for the championship but doesn't feel disappointed about it.

His support however turned out well as Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling shot Gareth Southgate's men to triumph with his 57th-minute effort with Kalvin Phillips bagging the assist.

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Oluwatomiwa Babalola
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