With the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and summer signing Ibrahima Konate in their senior squad, it's safe to say that Liverpool are pretty stacked in the centre-back position at the moment, which is just what Reds fans would want considering the injury issues the team suffered in that department last season.

However, one player who caught the eye for Jurgen Klopp's side last season that we feel has proved himself to be a great bit of business by the Merseyside club is Nat Phillips.

Liverpool signed the defender to their under-23 side on a free transfer from Bolton Wanderers back in the 2016 summer window. He then made 27 appearances for Liverpool's under-23s, chipping in with three goals in the process, and was granted his senior debut for the Reds back in their 1-0 FA Cup win over Merseyside rivals Everton in January 2020.

Last season saw the 24-year-old make 20 appearances for Klopp's side across the Premier League and Champions League, contributing in a big way to their overall campaign and earning himself high praise from Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp, who dubbed him an "unbelievable" player.

In terms of his market value, in December 2020 - shortly after making his Premier League debut for the Reds in a 2-1 win over West Ham just under a year ago - Transfermarkt had it listed as £1.62m. It now stands at £7.2m, highlighting just how much he has progressed and developed in the space of 12 months, showing why he has been a low-key great signing for the club.

Furthermore, Liverpool gave Phillips a new contract back in August, illustrating just how impressed they were with him last season and how they see him as a long-term option for the club.

Moving forward, even though the 24-year-old hasn't made a senior appearance for Liverpool so far this season, we feel that he could well go on to be a regular figure for them once again in the future given the experience he gained last season, his youth in comparison to 30-year-old pair Van Dijk and Matip, who could both only have a few years left at the club.

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