Jurgen Klopp says that the improvement in Nat Phillips is one of the greatest he has seen in a player under his management.
In a 2020/21 season where good news stories were few and far between for the Reds, the former Bolton Wanderers junior stood out like a beacon with his competitive nature and ability to rise to any challenge that the manager put in his direction.
Never in the wildest dreams of Klopp would he have thought the 24 year-old would become his most important central defender, but that is exactly what occurred with the amount of first choice talent on the sidelines for a extended period.
And while supporters were not permitted in the stadiums during the Covid-impacted season, the reputation of Phillips grew to a cult like status among the fanbase.
Speaking ahead of the Premier League clash with Wolves this afternoon, Klopp gave the defender a worthy complement as the Echo reported.
“People often ask me which player made the biggest improvements under my leadership, and I say Robert Lewandowski.
"That’s probably right, but not far off that is Nat Phillips, just in a completely different department.
"I remember when I saw Nat Phillips first. I spoke to him after the game and he’s one of the smartest players I ever worked with. I told him: 'You know you are not the easiest on the eye, eh?’
“His development is absolutely insane. You saw it last year, you would have said: ‘Nat Phillips, oh my God, he plays in the last line?’ People love him because of his heading but with his feet he is unbelievable.
"He’s a late starter, but his development is unbelievable. I would sign him for any club except Liverpool because we have him."
With the first choice pairing of Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip now back on deck and Ibrahima Konate signed from RB Leipzig, it means that the playing status of Phillips is currently in limbo.
In the summer window, Phillips was linked to the likes of Brighton, Burnley, Newcastle and West Ham as his reputation grew and would have been an asset for any of those clubs.
And while he would have gone with Liverpool’s blessing as a form of appreciation or his fine efforts in helping the club clinch a top four spot, there was a sense of apprehension over how the injured trio of Van Dijk, Matip and Joe Gomez would return to full time action.
And if there were any setbacks, then Klopp knew who he could call up.
To this point, Phillips has played a total of 46 first team minutes this season and Klopp knows that clubs will come knocking again in January with a decision almost certainly having to be made again.
“He is not playing. Life is sometimes not fair and I can’t blame him.
"We cannot keep him forever, that’s clear. We needed him, just to be safe, for that half-year.
"We will see what happens in the window because he’s a great guy.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed big Nat gets a start against AC Milan as it is the perfect acknowledgement for his efforts last season.
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