Perseverance pays off for Nathaniel Phillips

Nathaniel Phillips has been one of the surprise performers of Liverpool’s Premier League season, but according to his father it could have been a completely different story.

Unless you are blessed with incredible natural ability, the journey to the top for a young footballer is rarely clear-cut with many bumps along the road  and that was certainly the case for the 23 year-old.

Football was in the blood of the Bolton-born youngster with his dad Jimmy a Wanderers legend across two separate stints where he made 329 appearances.

He also played for Glasgow Rangers, Oxford United and Middlesbrough in a playing career spanning nearly 20 years.

After retiring from the game, he put his hand to coaching with the Bolton youth and reserve set-up as well stepping up caretaker manager with the senior team.

Phillips Snr. coached his son at academy level and documented (per the Mirror)  the unconventional Football journey of the youngster after he was released from Bolton due to financial restraints. Nat has made two appearance so far this season and has not let anyone down. He was man of the match on his Premier League debut as the Reds defeated West Ham at Anfield to keep up the momentum on their bid to retain the title.

Despite a slew of injuries if you ask any online bookie who the smart money is on this year they'll tell you it's Jurgen Klopp's side. Phillips Jr must be feeling pretty fortunate that he didn't leave the club last summer. He is a thoughtful young man and isn't afraid of thinking outside of the box, as his father revealed.

“I told him nothing is guaranteed in football.

“I said, ‘Why not look at the US college system?’, it offered a great base for getting into the American game.

“He liked the idea and got an offer from Charlotte University in North Carolina, went over and was incredibly impressed with the facilities.

“But, three days before he was due to fly out, Liverpool, who had been keeping tabs on him for a few months, invited him to join them on a pre-season trip to Germany.

A career defining decision had to be made, but Nathaniel who had battled injury and illness in his younger days, was very fortunate to have his father who knew the Football system inside out by his side.

"The only thing I asked Liverpool was not to just offer him a short-term contract because he did have this fantastic offer from America.

“If he wasn’t successful in the first month or so at Liverpool, then he’d also have missed out on America. To be fair, they offered him a two-year contract that gave Nat the chance to develop, which I felt he still needed.”

Nat was soon on his way to Germany and a loan spell with VFB Stuttgart, a decision which Jimmy says was pivotal to his development.

“Nat has to be grateful for Jurgen Klopp getting involved through his relationship with Stuttgart’s sporting director.

“Liverpool looked to get him out on loan, but to get to Stuttgart, even if they had dropped into Germany’s second tier, was a great experience.

Stuttgart won promotion back to the top division and the performances of Phillips were closely watched as well as getting big match experience.

Jimmy knows his son has taken the long road to this point but his performances for the Reds this season show that he has what it takes to be a Premier League player at a top team.

The lasting motto from his tale is if you put in the work, you will get your due rewards.

“I wouldn’t have said four years ago that he’d play for the first team.

“But Nat has always had a great determination to succeed as well as being dedicated and disciplined.

“If you work hard, you never know what’s around the corner.”