Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips is likely to remain at the club until the summer after Virgil van Dijk’s injury, according to journalist James Pearce.
The Lowdown: Phillips fifth-choice at Liverpool
The 25-year-old has become something of a cult hero at Anfield, having produced some spirited and influential performances at the back end of the 2020/21 season.
Phillips is very much the fifth-choice centre-back option at Liverpool, however, with Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all ahead of him in the pecking order.
While a move away could happen for the defender in January, it looks as though he is going nowhere.
The Latest: Defender set to stay
Writing on Twitter, Pearce claimed that Phillips would now remain at Liverpool for the remainder of the campaign, due to Van Dijk’s current layoff:
“VVD’s injury means Phillips is highly likely to remain as cover until May.”
The Verdict: Summer exit a must
This is a shrewd decision by Liverpool, although Phillips has still averaged 3.3 aerial duel wins per game this season and been lauded as ‘absolutely insane’ by Jurgen Klopp in the past.
[freshpress-quiz id=“419074″]
The hope is that the Englishman isn’t needed for the rest of the season as fifth-choice, but having him around gives the Reds that extra option without Van Djik.
Given his lack of game time until this point, Phillips should seal a permanent move elsewhere in the summer, perhaps making himself a regular at either a lower-end Premier League team or a promotion-chasing Championship club.
