Liverpool are open to offers for the services of centre-back Nathaniel Phillips this winter, according to James Pearce of The Athletic.
Phillips joined Liverpool’s Under-23 side from Bolton back in 2016, and earned first-team promotion three years later. He was sent immediately out on loan to hone his skills, and he spent the 2019-20 season playin for VfB Stuttgart in Germany. He returned to the club the following summer, and his services were needed in 2020-21 far more than anyone could have imagined, following the season-ending injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. He rose as an unlikely hero, helping the Merseysiders go on a late winning run and secure Champions League qualification against all odds.
Nonetheless, with Van Dijk, Matip, and now Gomez, all back in contention, as well as Ibrahima Konate who came in from RB Leipzig, Phillips has dropped to fifth choice for a spot in the heart of defence. This season, he had only been given 45 minutes in the Carabao Cup win over Preston North End and a single minute in the Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, before finally playing a full game against AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday. He performed admirably, and with the help of Konate, kept Zlatan Ibrahimovic at bay with great success.
But at the age of 24, it’s obvious Phillips needs to be playing regularly, and that won’t be easy to get at Liverpool given the quality of the competition for the starting XI. He was close to leaving this summer, but no offer was deemed suitable by the club and he ended up signing a new four-year contract.
However, if a suitable offer arrives at any point and he wants to go, Liverpool are unlikely to hold him back.
