Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira says Killian Phillips is the type of player who will give 200 per cent to the team after the Irish midfielder won plaudits from Steve Cotterill after his Shrewsbury Town debut.
The 20-year-old joined the League One side on a six-month loan for the rest of the 2022-23 season at the start of January. He made his debut and played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to Championship play-off hopefuls Sunderland in the FA Cup last weekend.
Shrews boss Cotterill described Phillips’ debut as “immense” and “incredible”.
French World Cup winner Vieira handed Phillips his Crystal Palace debut earlier in the season in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United.
“He is a really good character,” said Vieira of Phillips.
“He’s the kind of player who will give 200 per cent for the team – he’s a team player.
“I understand why the manager at Shrewsbury really likes him – he’s working hard.
“He trained and was with the first team on tour, but he needed to play men’s football every week.
“Those experiences, I believe, will bring them back with more confidence. It’s good for those players to go and challenge themselves.”
Academy forward John-Kymani Gordon has also headed out on loan to Carlise United in League Two for the rest of the season.
“It was important to give him this kind of challenge to play men’s football every week,” said Vieira of Gordon.
Picture : Keith Gillard
“He trained with the first team for the last couple of months, and he was doing well.
“He was waiting for that opportunity which I couldn’t give him. I was happy with how he was conducting himself on and off the field around the first team.
“We just believed it was the best option for him to help him grow and get him that kind of exposure.”
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