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Nat Phillips has been open to his talks with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp since his Anfield career took a turn.
The 23-year-old Phillips was strongly linked to a transfer out of the Reds last summer, with Bundesliga and Championship clubs monitoring the Englishman after his loyalty to VfB Stuttgart.
But the center-back was pushed into Liverpool’s first-team squad in October after stalwart defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered serious knee injuries.
Phillips impressed on his league debut, playing 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over West Ham, and also featured in the 1-1 draw at Brighton last month.
(Image: Pool via REUTERS)
Currently a regular on the Reds ‘Premier League teams, Phillips is destined to play a significant role in the champions’ fight to defend their title.
The player admitted that his trajectory is now “completely different” from what it seemed during the summer in an interview with Liverpool’s official website.
Asked about his contact with Klopp, Phillips said: “Nothing more formal than during the summer.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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“Obviously we didn’t really know what was happening then, that was the last formal talk we had about what my plan was and obviously the situation was completely different then.
“Since then, we’ve had a strange exchange of words. If it looks like I’m going to play this weekend, he’ll ask me if I think I’m ready.”
(Image: PA)
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“And like I said before, he tells me to have fun and play my game like he knows I can.”
While Phillips continues to be named to Klopp’s squad for Premier League matches, uncertainty about his future last summer meant he was not named to the Reds’ Champions League squad.
Not being involved in European games has given the former Bolton academy star the opportunity to do additional sessions at Liverpool’s Kirkby training ground.
He added: “I have had time individually. When the guys have been playing in the Champions League, I’ve been doing individual sessions where I have the opportunity to work on things individually that I might not do during team sessions.
“But in terms of the coach and the coaching staff, they have always given the same instructions, which are to play my game and have fun.”
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