Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips will now stay at Anfield this summer after the injury to Ibrahima Konate, James Pearce has reported.

The Lowdown: Phillips linked with exit

The 25-year-old found playing time for the Reds hard to come by last season, eventually being loaned out to Bournemouth midway through the campaign.

Phillips has been expected to move on this summer, considering a host of top-class defenders are ahead of him in the pecking order, with a permanent exit in the offing.

There has now been a significant twist, however, following Konate's knee injury against Strasbourg last weekend.

The Latest: Defender to stay put

Taking to Twitter, Pearce shared news from Klopp's pre-Fulham press conference at Kirkby - Phillips will now remain a Liverpool player to cover the absence of Konate:

"Klopp says Ibrahima Konate's injury is likely to mean that Nat Phillips stays put this month."

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The Verdict: Makes complete sense

This makes perfect sense from a Liverpool perspective, with Jurgen Klopp no doubt not wanting to risk a repeat of 2020/21, when endless injuries to centre-backs ruined their season.

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That being said, it is hard not to feel sorry for Phillips, who may have been desperate to earn regular time at a Championship club, rather than not even make match-day squads at Anfield once Konate is back.

The hope is that the France internatonal returns in the relatively near future and that Phillips is eventually allowed to leave in January, ensuring he enjoys a new challenge in the second half of the campaign.