Nat Phillips has admitted that he is prepared to leave Liverpool in January in search of regular football.
The centre-back has found game time this season difficult to come by, having featured just three times for the first-team.
Phillips played a key role in helping the Reds qualify for the Champions League last season, with his performances seeing him earn a deserved new contract in the summer.
However, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez returning to fitness in the summer, and the addition of new signing Ibrahima Konate, Phillips has fallen well down the centre-back pecking order at Anfield.
West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in signing Phillips, and the 24-year-old has said that, after a conversation with Jurgen Klopp, he wants to leave Liverpool should an opportunity arise.
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"I want to be playing games,” Phillips told Sky Sports . “It's been tough because the competition to get in this team is fierce.
"The manager and I agree that the best thing for me is to play as many games as possible. I think you saw last year I developed well.
"I'm going to see what comes along [in January] and go from there. I think at this moment in time it's unlikely that I'll be playing lots of games for Liverpool, so if an opportunity arises where I get the chance to do that somewhere else and it suits everyone then it's certainly something I'd be interested in.
"I've had the exposure and experience in the Premier League and the Champions League.
“So maybe those situations where you're new and nervy, I've gone through that phase.
"I don't need to go through that process if I do go somewhere else. I'll be ready straight away to get involved and play."
Despite not only featuring three times for Liverpool this term, Phillips stepped in and performed well in the Reds’ Champions League win over AC Milan last week.
Phillips says that he is learning off all of his team-mates, not just defenders, and adds that even if he were to remain at Liverpool beyond January he would still be settled.
"Not only defenders we have, but the attackers as well,” said Phillips.
“If I'm holding my own in training against the strikers we have then it stands me in good stead.
"I can't complain. The standard in training improves me every day.
“If it wasn't to happen (leave Liverpool) I would certainly still be living a happy life."
