Ashley Phillips has been fabulous for Plymouth Argyle, says Ian Foster

Ian Foster believes 18-year-old defender Ashley Phillips is 'going to get better and better' for Plymouth Argyle between now and the end of the season.

The Pilgrims lost 2-0 to promotion-chasing Leeds United at Home Park yesterday but Phillips, the England under-19s captain who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, produced a performance which belied his young age. He was pitted against talented, powerful attacking players such as Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter but gave a good account of himself, matching them when it came to physicality and determination.

Phillips had a new role for Argyle as well, lining up in the centre of a defensive trio, with Julio Pleguzuelo and Lewis Gibson either side of him, rather than on the right as he had been in his previous seven games since joining from Spurs last month.

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Foster said: "We are really pleased with Ashley. Moving him centrally gave us an opportunity to limit his distance. So when you play centrally in a back three you do less running than you do as the outside centre-back.

"It was a little bit tactical and a little bit physical with that decision. We have got the balance of Lewis playing on the left. I thought he (Phillips) performed really well. He's just going to get better and better. It's our job while he's here to continue to develop him, make him a better player, give him the experiences he's getting but his performances have been fabulous."

Foster added: "He's capable of playing as a right or left-sided centre-back in a back four or anywhere across the back three. Ashley has struggled late in some games because he's getting muscle soreness and cramps so the opportunity to move him centrally, we know he's capable of.

"He understands the role, it's slightly different than playing off the side but he's a young player who is capable of taking on tactical information and then implementing it on the grass."

Phillips is one of two players on loan to Argyle from Tottenham, with the other one being Alfie Devine, who has been used as a 'number 10' since being reunited with Foster, his former England under-20s coach, at Home Park.

Foster said: "Alfie's performances have been very good, with and without the ball. He has got a really good tactical brain, a really clear understanding of what we are asking him to do and how to do it, and he applies himself brilliantly."

The Pilgrims' boss also sees Devine making more improvement as his team-mates get used to him. "It's getting used to each other and people will really start to understand his qualities, how he can receive the ball in between the lines on the half turn and be positive," said Foster.

"He's a lovely footballer. I have worked an awful lot with Alfie, I know what he's capable of and we are starting to see it now. Today (against Leeds), he was quieter, probably because of the level of the opposition so you get less time on the ball."

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