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s seasons go it has been a highly unusual one for
everyone, but for Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel
Phillips it will certainly be one he never forgets.
The 23-year-old spent most of the season on loan in
Germany helping VfB Stuttgart win promotion to the
Bundesliga but also made his Reds debut in the Merseyside
derby during a three-week return to Liverpool FC.
Bolton-born Phillips, son of former Wanderers left-back
Jimmy Phillips, signed a new contract with LFC in August
before joining VfB Stuttgart on loan.
The 2007 German champions had suffered relegation in 2019,
being demoted to 2.Bundesliga after losing a play-off to Union
Berlin on away-goals.
Among the players to depart were French international
defender Benjamin Pavard, to Bayern Munich, and ex-Reds
left-back Emiliano Insua, to LA Galaxy, with Phillips one of an
incredible 15 players moving to the Mercedes-Benz Arena last
summer either permanently or on loan.
Between August and mid-December, he made nine
appearances, seven of them starts. But a few days before
Christmas, while in Stuttgart Airport awaiting a flight home
during German football’s winter-break, Nat received a call from
Liverpool’s loan-pathways manager Julian Ward.Due to an LFC injury crisis at centre-back, which resulted in
Jordan Henderson playing there alongside Joe Gomez against
Monterrey in the FIFA Club World Cup, Phillips was asked to
rejoin Jürgen Klopp’s first-team squad and prepare to make his
debut in the FA Cup third-round tie against Everton at Anfield.
He returned to the squad on 27 December, was an unused
substitute against Sheffield United in the Premier League on
2 January – after his registration was completed four hours
before kick-off – and made his debut against Everton.
A thumping challenge on Richarlison on the touchline got the
Anfield crowd behind him, and the Reds went on to record a
famous 1-0 win, Curtis Jones netting the winner.
An unused sub at Tottenham the following week, Phillips
returned to VfB Stuttgart on 13 January to play under a new
manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, after Tim Walter was sacked
while Nat was back in Liverpool.
Playing in the same team as legendary striker Mario Gomez,
he made a further nine 2.Bundesliga appearances as VfB
Stuttgart sealed their return back to the top-flight as runners-up.
Despite losing their final game to Darmstadt 98 when they
needed a draw, other results went Stuttgart’s way and Phillips
ended his highly unusual season with promotion. In the photo
below, he’s far-right celebrating with team-mates and fans.D
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Centre-half Phillips wins promotion in Germany following his cup exploits back at Anfield
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