Gillingham manager Steve Evans has revealed his pleasure in seeing Kalvin Phillips and Ben White excel for England.

Evans managed both players in the past, at Leeds United and Peterborough United respectively, and he has admitted he couldn’t be happier to see both players’ successes during the current international summer.

“I am really pleased,” said Evans. “Kalvin Phillips has carried on doing what he has done. 

“I had him at Leeds as a young kid and helped him a little bit along his way, but he has gone onto where no one ever thought he would get to. His performance against Croatia was so, so special.”

Phillips, England’s ‘player of the match’ in their first Euro 2020 game versus Croatia, didn’t start any of Evans’ 38 games in charge of Leeds, and later revealed Evans to be the most difficult manager he played under at Elland Road.

Evans, however, is proud of his former starlet.

“I have watched him a lot in the Premier League over the last season and the Championship before that where he was simply the Championship’s best player,” said the Gills boss.

“I have gone on record saying that many times. I was proud of him being the best player wearing an England shirt.

“Six months ago, I would have said Scott McTominay could start for England, but I continue to watch the development of Kalvin Phillips.”

Evans signed Brighton defender White on loan for Peterborough back in 2019, just before he was dismissed from his managerial position at London Road. Since then, White has gone onto new heights, and was included in England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 as a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The two are still in contact, and White went into the tournament with his former manager’s best wishes.

“I spoke via WhatsApp to Ben before the tournament when he had been called up to the original group,” he said. “I know how proud he is, and I know how immensely proud his family are.

“From the minute he walked into Peterborough on loan, I had identified him very early to Barry Fry (Peterborough director of football) and the chairman, and he came, and he was a different class.”

White spent time at Leeds on loan, but it was after Evans’ time. The Yorkshire club however is another aspect of football that brings the two together.

“It was no surprise to me he came out the Premier League and went to the Championship on loan,” Evans said. “I told him at the time he wasn’t going to any club – he was going to Leeds United, to work with Marcelo (Bielsa, Leeds manager), and what they could achieve.

“I think it is fair to say he will be loved forever more by the Leeds fans and now the Brighton fans. He is an outstanding young man of great character. He knows the game well, has great manners, goes about his business properly and he has my best wishes.”

Evans is Scottish, but England’s success so far at Euro 2020 hasn’t come as a surprise to him.

He said: “I sent Steve Clarke (Scotland manager) my best wishes but I also text Gareth (Southgate, England manager) and we had a bit of banter about that.

“They have brilliant depth. Ben White said the camp is absolutely buzzing, and that is a massive thing too.”