Nathaniel Phillips is one of two available Liverpool centre-backs at the moment.
It looks like Dejan Lovren might add to Liverpool’s injury woes ahead of next week’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool’s official website on Tuesday that the Croatia international was in a race against time to be fit for the visit of Bayern in the first leg of a last-16 tie.
If he isn’t, it leaves the Reds manager with a major headache.
Virgil van Dijk is suspended and Joe Gomez is already sidelined, meaning that Joel Matip is Klopp’s only experienced and recognised centre-back at the moment.
With that in mind, could the German boss turn to Nathaniel Phillips and give him an unlikely debut next week?
The 21-year-old could be Klopp’s only other centre-back option and desperate times may call for desperate measures.
Phillips, who joined from Bolton on a free transfer in 2016, regularly captains Liverpool’s Under-23 side, and Klopp brought him to Marbella for the warm-weather training camp this week.
Playing him against Bayern in his first senior outing would be the very definition of throwing somebody in at the deep end, but Klopp might have little choice but to ask him to sink or swim at Anfield next week.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
