Nathaniel Phillips is an experienced centre-half who emerged from the club's Academy to represent the senior Liverpool FC squad.

The defender made 20 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign to help the Reds secure a third-placed Premier League finish and Champions League qualification.

Phillips previously came through the youth ranks at Bolton Wanderers before turning down a scholarship in the USA to pursue his dreams at the peak of the professional game, and he arrived at the Academy in 2016 following a successful trial.

After missing a large part of 2017-18 with a back injury, the defender returned to enjoy a strong end to the campaign and was awarded the captain's armband for the U23s.

He would catch the eye of Jürgen Klopp during the 2018-19 pre-season, but was unable to build on the encouraging summer due to an ankle injury that saw him miss the majority of the campaign.

However, Phillips again secured a place on the club's pre-season tour to the USA the following summer and signed a long-term contract with the Reds in August 2019.

He then immediately joined German side VfB Stuttgart on a season-long loan, but was recalled by Liverpool in the December following several defensive injuries. Phillips made his debut as Everton were beaten at Anfield in the FA Cup and subsequently returned to Stuttgart for the remainder of 2019-20.

Injuries would then provide Phillips with further senior opportunities in the Premier League and Champions League in 2020-21, during which he became a popular figure for supporters due to his fearless approach to defending. 

He also scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win at Burnley in May 2021, and signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool in August 2021 before joining AFC Bournemouth on loan in January 2022 and helping them secure promotion to the top flight.

Phillips played five times for the Reds during 2022-23 and then spent the first half of the next season on loan with Celtic in Scotland. The centre-back again headed out for the second part of 2023-24, linking up with Cardiff City in the Championship.

Nat returned to England's second tier in the early stages of the following campaign, too, moving to Derby County for the duration of 2024-25.