Nat Phillips explains why he left Liverpool to join Celtic

Nat Phillips is the most high-profile signing that Celtic made this summer. Even he arrived on loan for only the first half of the season and out of necessity more than anything else, as Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh are all out injured for the foreseeable future. Bringing in the Liverpool defender was most probably not in the Hoops’ original plans.

It remains to be seen how he does though. There is no doubt that Phillips has the pedigree to be a success at Parkhead.

He has not played much football for Liverpool, but when he has been on the pitch for Jurgen Klopp’s side, he has not looked out of place. The 26-year-old is a dominant presence at the back, something that Celtic need in the absence of Carter-Vickers.

Phillips has now shed some light on why he chose to leave Anfield this summer, albeit only on loan for the first half of the season, and choose to join Celtic. As reported by Liverpool Echo, he said:

"“I’ve gone through a period at Liverpool where I’ve not been playing a great deal.“Ultimately, in the transfer window, I knew that I needed to go and get games regularly somewhere. Celtic have given me a great opportunity to do that at a good level and at a huge club.“The stadium is always packed full of fans which, as a player, you want. You want to be playing in those atmospheres at a club with high aspirations.”"

Phillips explains why he left Liverpool to join Celtic

Will Phillips be a success in the Hoops? Let’s see. If he does prove himself at Parkhead then one cannot rule out the possibility of the club trying to sign him on a permanent basis.

After all, playing time is going to be hard to come by at Liverpool for Phillips, no matter how he does at Celtic Park. That is just the reality of the situation for him.

Of course, the first step for him would be to establish himself as a starter for Celtic. The combination of Liam Scales and Gustaf Lagerbielke has served them quite well over the past two games, not conceding a goal in either, with one of those being against the Rangers away at Ibrox.