Nathaniel Phillips has, surprisingly, found himself playing as a more-or-less regular member of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool outfit this season.
The defending champions of England have been ravaged by injuries since the start of the season – and with centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all out for the season due to injuries, Phillips has found himself playing regularly out of nowhere.
The 23-year-old has played a total of 554 minutes in the Premier League this season (TransferMrkt), playing in the heart of the Merseyside outfit’s defence alongside makeshift partners such as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
After starting in arguably Liverpool’s worst performance of the season in a 2-0 Merseyside derby loss to Everton, Phillips recently made the rounds on social media for his new haircut.
A sneak-peek into Liverpool’s latest training sessions at Melwood before the clash against Sheffield United has revealed the Englishman’s new ‘skinhead’ look. Phillips has shaved all of his hair and now dons a haircut that rivals that of world-class Italian centre backs Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini’s – and provides a menacing aura to his appearance.
Nathaniel Phillips sporting a new ‘skinhead’ look in training
Liverpool fans have hilariously reacted to his new look on Twitter – while one said that Phillips has channelled his inner Chiellini in the best of ways, another said that an army-style crew cut suits a centre back and added that Phillips should refrain from smiling for the rest of the season to add to his aura.
Phillips has made a total of seven appearances in the league this season, starting five games while coming off the bench in two games. Phillips’ performances have mostly been solid whenever called upon – Jurgen Klopp can not ask for a lot more from someone who was right at the bottom of the Liverpool pecking order of defenders at the start of the season.
Fans will be looking forward to Phillips debuting his new look if he is picked when Liverpool travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in their next outing.
