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Jurgen Klopp praised Nat Phillips after Liverpool’s successful Premier League debut against West Ham.
He especially liked his no-nonsense style, something he joked would make him no comparison to Lionel Messi.
It comes after Phillips won the man of the match award against West Ham.
The 23-year-old was drafted from the reserves with Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho out injured.
There were questions about whether Rhys Williams, who has impressed as a young man, or Jordan Henderson would play.
But Klopp surprised everyone by naming Phillips, who was about to be sold by Liverpool in the transfer window.
Instead, the Bolton-born defender made an exceptional display when the Reds beat West Ham 2-1.
And Klopp was more impressed by his defense skills than his party tricks.
“The story behind him makes it even more incredible,” said the Reds boss.
“I’m very happy for him, he deserves it more than anyone.
“He’s a brilliant guy, smart, smart, everything. He knows everything about himself as a footballer.
“He kept it really simple tonight, which was important to us.
“He’s not pretty to look at, he’s not Messi, but who cares? In the air, it is a monster! It was incredible.
“He was vocal on the field and he spoke very well, he did the challenges, he was there and he was aggressive.
“Maybe he committed a foul and played a good game.”
Jamie Carragher also praised Phillips, comparing a moment to Van Dijk.
He said: “It was what he did in the air. What Fabinho and [Joe] Gomez’s lack is aerial domination.
“When you play against some teams, not necessarily the best, but many teams will look for set pieces, direct balls, crosses into the box, second balls.
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“Liverpool didn’t deal with it at all against Sheffield United, and that’s what caused them big problems.
“But today, that header at the end of a corner, one of the last shots of the game, to be the leader and be sure you have your head on, normally that would be the role of Van Dijk.”
“That was a vital header, and it really beat Liverpool in the game.”
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