Kalvin Phillips next? The last nine players to play for Leeds & Man Utd

Legends of the British game such as Gordon Strachan, Gordon McQueen, Joe Jordan, Dennis Irwin and Johnny Giles crossed the Pennines divide during their career and this trend has continued during the Premier League era.

Phillips is one of Leeds most prized assets. A local boy that came through their academy and went on to star for England during their run to the Euro 2020 final, you can imagine the scenes in Leeds were he allowed to leave for the club’s most hated rivals.

The Manchester Evening News report that Manchester United are working on a deal to take the 26-year-old midfielder to Old Trafford in the summer.

We’ve investigated how the last nine footballers who played for the Uniteds of Leeds and Manchester and how they fared doing so.

Despite United’s collection of talented solo artists continuing to struggle at Old Trafford, few there will regret the decision to sell James to Leeds last summer.

Surprisingly enough, he’s their seventh all-time most expensive departure and one of few players they’ve managed to turn a profit on since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

The winger almost joined Leeds in January 2019 but, with the Yorkshire club in the Championship, the move fell through and James moved to Manchester United that summer instead.

He started with three goals in his first four Premier League appearances but suffered a dip in form due to his inexperience, technical limitations and United’s inconsistency.

The jury remains out on whether James will come good at Elland Road. It will be interesting to see whether Jesse Marsch can do what Bielsa and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t and get the best out of the Wales international.

Dan James, that’s the tweet.

pic.twitter.com/3sZ7PNTbKl

— Wales Football Fans