Liverpool will apparently not exercise their option to keep Nathaniel Phillips at Celtic for the second half of the season, instead bringing him back to Anfield as cover.
Phillips has been with the Reds since joining their academy from Bolton. The defender made his senior debut for the club in the 2019/20 season, appearing in a 1-0 win over Everton.
That same season, he was on loan to Stuttgart, where he appeared 19 times in the Bundesliga.
The following season, due to a defensive crisis at Liverpool, Phillips was forced to appear in a number of games.
Indeed, the centre-back appeared in the Premier League 19 times, starting 15 of them. His center-back partners included Jordan Henderson, Ozan Kabak, and Rhys Williams, emphasizing the seriousness of the Reds’ problems.
After winning the league the year before, Liverpool finished third, much behind the pace.
Phillips has only appeared in 11 games for Liverpool since then, and he is currently on loan at Celtic.
However, he has only appeared six times in the Scottish Premiership this season, and it was recently claimed that Jurgen Klopp was considering ending his nightmare at Celtic Park in order to bring Phillips back into his squad.
Liverpool makes a decision on Phillips’ comeback
They appear to have taken their decision on the topic.
According to Football Insider, Liverpool ‘are set to recall’ Phillips from that loan.
They have the option to extend his loan period for the second half of the season, but given that he’s mostly on the bench, the Reds ‘are not anticipated’ to do so.
He’ll return to his parent club and will most likely compete for a starting spot.
Phillips adds dimension
If Phillips is not loaned out again, he will contribute to Liverpool’s depth at center-back.
Klopp already has five experienced central defenders at his disposal.
Joel Matip, on the other hand, will be out for several months due to a broken anterior cruciate ligament, and Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate have recently struggled for fitness.
Having another option at the back, however, appears to be beneficial for Liverpool.
Phillips could receive some minutes at Anfield after returning from a disappointing time at Celtic.