Despite having a rather rocky start to their season with just three wins from their 15 Premier League games so far in this campaign, drawing seven and losing five in the process, one player who has been a regular figure for them is midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

With the England international having been linked with a move away from the Yorkshire club during the previous summer transfer window, it seems as though there has still been some talk of whether Phillips' long-term future could be at Elland Road or elsewhere.

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Paul Brown had this to say about fellow Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool being interested in signing Phillips.

He said: "There may even be others who come in, but for the moment those two are the prime candidates."

As a product of Leeds' youth system, Phillips has gone on to make a total of 226 appearances for the Whites across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in the process.

Taking into account how Leeds lost seven out of the nine league Premier League games in which Phillips was not involved last season, this highlights just how important he is to the team and why Orta could be condemning the Whites to a potential future relegation if they lose the midfielder next summer.

In the league games that he did play in last season, Phillips proved himself as a crucial figure for Bielsa's side, particularly from a defensive point of view by racking up an average of 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.6 interceptions per game.

Labelled as a "powerful" player by former Whites boss Neil Redfearn, Phillips, who is currently valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, has made 131 appearances under Bielsa for Leeds, leaving just Mateusz Klich (145) and Jack Harrison (142) with more under the Argentine.

Even though the player's current contract isn't set to expire until the summer of 2024, Orta should be working his socks off to get Phillips to sign an extension to his current deal and pledge his future to the Yorkshire club, which would surely be a massive weight off the shoulders of lots of Leeds fans who may be concerned about Phillips potentially moving away from the club.

In other news: Leeds can start January with a bang if Orta signs "outstanding" £9m-rated "technician"