One of Liverpool’s cult heroes of last season showed, once again, just how important a player he can be for Liverpool.
The Reds’ win over AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night will make few headlines in the long run, apart from the small matter of the club being the first English team to win all six of their group games in the competition’s history.
Mohamed Salah got his customary goal, which was his 20th in all competitions this season, while Divock Origi followed up his heroics from the weekend win over Wolves with another decisive strike at the San Siro.
But there is another player who many Kopites can’t stop talking about and that is Nat Phillips.
READ MORE: AC Milan angry with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool as Mohamed Salah ignored
READ MORE: 'The devil closes the group' - Italian media react to AC Milan's 'desperate' defeat to Liverpool
READ MORE: 'Laughed in the face of the Group of Death' - national media react to Liverpool's win over Milan
Despite playing just 46 minutes of first-team football, Phillips stepped in alongside Ibrahima Konate and produced another solid display like Liverpool were accustomed to seeing last season. Let’s not forget about the Cruyff turn inside his own penalty area in the second half.
What may come as a surprise are some quotes that have emerged from a former Premier League striker about Phillips.
Ex-Aston Villa captain Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Phillips’ abilities are not only up to Liverpool’s standards, but also of the Premier League.
“Nat Phillips is not a Premier League centre-half,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider .
“I’ve watched a bit of him now at Liverpool and he’s not good enough.
“For me, he’s a Championship player at best, he’s not good enough for the Premier League, especially at the top end.”
*Give us your LFC player ratings:
A strong opinion to say the least, and one that is sure to disgruntle many from the red half of Merseyside.
Phillips has a lot of credit in the bank with Liverpool supporters after his efforts last season, and will likely have plenty of it for some time, especially if he continues to impress when called upon.
Is Phillips the best centre-back at Liverpool? No, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a Premier League player.
If you look up and down the league, especially at the lower end of the table, how many teams would want a player with the experience that Phillips possesses? Quite a few.
Would the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea want him? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean he’s not of value to Liverpool or to any other teams in the Premier League.
The January transfer window is fast approaching, and Klopp has already hinted that a move may be on the cards for Phillips.
Given Phillips signed a new contract at Liverpool in the summer, any deal is likely to see the Reds recoup a sizable amount of money for a fifth-choice centre-back.
Back to Agbonlahor’s comments, and he is, of course, entitled to his opinion. But on this particular front, to say Phillips is not good enough to play in the Premier League is missing the mark completely.
Only time will tell whether Phillips goes on to be a regular player in the top flight. Chances are it won’t be at Liverpool, but another club could well take a chance on him in the future.
He’s only 24 years old, so has plenty of seasons ahead of him before he even reaches his peak years as a defender. Was Virgil van Dijk the player he is now at 24, or was he still learning the trade and on the path to becoming the world’s best centre-back?
This is not to say that Phillips will go on to another Van Dijk in the future, but raises a valid point that to say he’s not good enough to play in the Premier League, in this current moment, is a little unfair given what he’s already achieved while at Liverpool.
