John Barnes has sent advice to Liverpool defender Nat Phillips over his future at Anfield.
The Reds centre-back stepped in during an injury crisis to help the club achieve a third-place finish in the Premier League.
Injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip meant that Phillips was forced to partner either Ozan Kabak or Rhys Williams in the closing months of the season.
After helping the club secure Champions League football for next season, attention has turned to his future at Anfield.
With Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip expected to return, and the incoming arrival of Ibrahima Konate, Phillips may find regular game time difficult to come by.
Liverpool legend Barnes has offered some advice to Phillips, and says why the ball is in the player’s court as to whether he will remain on Merseyside.
“First of all he’s done a fantastic job for the club, but once Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip return from injury then he’s not going to get into the side ahead of them,” Barnes told BettingOdds.com.
“So it’s not a question of whether he’s deserving of a place, it’s a question of if he wants it.
“Of course at his age now he will want to be playing regularly and I have so much admiration for players who want to play, even if that entails taking a step down. What’s the point of staying at a club if you’re not going to play? He’s 24 years old.
“His stock has gone up and if you’re saying that he’s available for £10 million, then you’d have thought that nobody would have been thinking of Nat Phillips as a £10 million player six months ago.
“It’s all down to whether Nat feels happy at Liverpool and if he feels happy being part of a squad where he plays every now and again, or whether he wants to play regularly.
“From my perspective, I’d always choose to play every week and play regularly and if he chooses to follow the same path then I’d have nothing but respect for him.”
