After rising through the ranks at Leeds, Phillips was a standout player under Marcelo Bielsa, which helped him get into the England team and get a lucrative transfer to Man City.

But there have been very few first-team opportunities for the England international as he is ranked below Rodri in the pecking order for the club.

In the summer of 2022, he completed the €49 million transfer, however he has only played in 31 games.

Just five more rounds of fixtures remain for the 2023/24 EFL Championship regular season to end. Matchday 42 gets underway with the table-topping Leicester City taking on Millwall. Leeds United will be in action a few minutes later, with the Whites hosting Sunderland at Elland Road this midweek.

Leeds United have been on a roll in 2024, embarking on an unbeaten start to the year in the EFL Championship until this past weekend.

The West Yorkshire club racked up a 15-game run without being at the wrong end of a result, rising to the automatic promotions berths.

However, the 2-1 defeat to Coventry City has dropped Daniel Farke and his charges to third on the table.

As for Sunderland, they have endured a horrendous campaign thus far.

The Black Cats have sacked two managers, with Tony Mowbray getting the axe in December, while Michael Beale lasted only three months in the job.

Mike Dodd replaced Beale in February, and he has overseen a dreadful run of only one win in eight games (D2 L5) to drop to 13th in the standings.

The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for Sunderland, with Jobe Bellingham scoring the match-winning goal.

The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.