Liverpool defender Nat Phillips has given an interesting interview about how he managed to bounce back at Anfield when he was convinced his time at the club was over.
The 24-year-old never really made much of a first-team breakthrough at Liverpool until they had some rotten luck with injuries this season.
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Phillips joined the Reds as a youngster but only made one first-team appearance prior to this season, though he had also spent some time out on loan.
Now with Liverpool dealt the blow of losing Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez for so much of this season, Phillips has earned his chance in Jurgen Klopp’s side, and has shown what he’s capable of.
Speaking in an interview with the Times, Phillips explained how his enthusiastic approach helped him in training, as he admits he would turn up convinced that every day at the club could be his last, so it made it easier for him to enjoy it.
“It was decided I was going to be sold and that’s why I wasn’t included in the Champions League squad. I would literally go out at training and think, ‘This could be my last day at Liverpool, I’ve got to enjoy it’,” he said.
“It took the pressure off. I wasn’t playing at training to impress or get into the team, I was playing for my enjoyment and maybe trying things where I wasn’t afraid of getting a bollocking if it didn’t work out.
“In the passing drills I was properly wrapping my passes or making them with my laces. Having the confidence to shell it or drag it or slice it, and they were coming off.
“I kept my passes and stuff in possession simple because I didn’t want to do anything to put myself under any pressure. As I’ve played more games, gained more confidence and probably gained more expectation from the rest of the team, the coaches and myself, I’ve been more adventurous.”
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