Centre-back Nat Phillips is nowhere near being good enough to play consistently for Liverpool.
That’s the view of former Reds player Danny Murphy. Speaking on TalkSPORT yesterday, the pundit was assessing Liverpool’s options in the wake of Virgil van Dijk’s injury.
Put to him by host Ade Oladipo that Phillips had always ‘looked okay’ when called upon, Murphy wasn’t so sure.
“I think he’s [Nat Phillips] way off to be honest,” he dismissed, before analysing a potentially bigger issue for Liverpool – the midfield.
“The bigger problem would be more the midfield. I still feel that when you haven’t got Henderson in there, there’s a miss, physically and the leadership as well,” Murphy said. “I didn’t see anybody the other night [against Brentford], maybe Robbo [Andy Robertson] when he came on, he does it a little bit. But you know the second corner, the third corner, the ball kept ending up in the back of the net, I didn’t see anybody digging anybody out.
“Jordan, if you go and watch Liverpool or England play, all you can hear is Jordan Henderson organising, shouting, kicking people up the backside. [Liverpool] Didn’t seem to have it in the first-half, it was a really worrying display [vs Brentford].”
Phillips out to prove doubters wrong
This might seem harsh from Murphy, but there’s some truth in it, too. Phillips has indeed been fine for the majority of his games for Liverpool, but he’s maybe a step below what they need.
There’s a reason the 25-year-old has been on the transfer list for the majority of the last three years.
Of course, that isn’t to say he’s a bad player. Not at all. His recent cameo against Manchester City was yet another reminder that Phillips is capable of being a good Premier League defender.
But there remains a feeling that his future lies firmly away from Anfield. For now though, he’s staying put. Liverpool will need him once again as Van Dijk recovers from injury.
With Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all above him in the pecking order, he’s unlikely to see major game time while the Dutchman is out.
However, Saturday’s visit of Wolves will perhaps give him the chance to show that he deserves a fairer crack of the whip. Do well against Julen Lopetegui’s side and maybe he’ll have Murphy, and us, eating our words. Go for it, Nat!
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