Noel Whelan has insisted that Leeds United must refuse to cash in on Kalvin Phillips and the other young prospects at the club during the summer transfer window.
The Whites failed to clinch promotion back to the Premier League after crashing out of the Championship playoff semi-finals against Derby County in dramatic fashion.
Despite their flying start to life under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds were unable to keep up the good work throughout the entirety of the gruelling season and eventually fell short towards the end.
However, Bielsa's season was marked by improvement from a number of Leeds players and young stars being given an opportunity to shine.
Without Premier League football, Leeds could be vulnerable to approaches for talents, but Whelan has stressed they must try to retain the prospects at the club, including Phillips, instead of trying to cash in.
“They’ve got to try and do everything possible to do that, even if money is put on the table”, Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds' Noel Whelan Show.
“It’s sometimes hard to refuse, but they’ve got to [keep hold of the young prospects].
“They’ll be looking at [Jamie] Shackleton, they’ll be looking at Jack Clarke, they’ll be looking at Kalvin Phillips for sure because he is playing in a position which is a disciplined position needed by successful clubs.”
The former White also credited Phillips for his excellent maturity and development this season and reiterated that Leeds must keep him, as he is almost irreplaceable.
“He sticks through his game, he does everything right, he’s improved, he’s matured and he’s coming into an age now where he is only going to get better and coming into his better years”, he continued.
“He is a different type of player, he is that cog that allows the flair players to go and do the job, he sits there the unsung hero, but without him, we’re susceptible to breaks, he stops everything going, he makes it tick.
“It’s a specialised position, it’s a specialised player that manages to do that role and there’s not many of them around.”
Phillips, who came up through the ranks at Elland Road, made 46 appearances for Leeds in all competitions this season.
