Patrick Vieira has played down the midfield battle between Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher to get a starting spot in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for England. The pair of senior internationals are both gunning for a place in the Three Lions side ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Patrick Vieira said: “I don’t think the England manager will make his decision based on one game only. He knows what he can get from Phillips because he has been with the national team for quite a while, so he knows what he can bring to the team. Conor is getting there, he is making a name for himself and has been really good for us this season. Of course, these six games will be massively important and Conor has to keep that level of performance to allow him to have a chance of going to the national team.”
Vieira was then asked how the two midfielders compare, with the former Arsenal captain and recent Premier League Hall of Fame inductee saying that both players had different strengths when it came to their games.
Patrick Vieira added: “Maybe Conor can project himself going forward a little bit more and Phillips is more of this holding midfielder. But [Phillips] has this mobility to be box to box, he can drive with the ball as well, so both of them have a lot of energy I would say and good options for [Southgate].”
Leeds head to south London on Monday night on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Palace, meanwhile, have lost each of their last three fixtures, with their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley sandwiched between away losses in the league at Leicester and Newcastle.
Patrick Vieira added: “They’re a good side. They, like the majority of the teams in the Premier League, play with a lot of energy. They have pace, and they have got a new manager with a different philosophy, but they’ve been doing well, so we expect a challenging game.”
