Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lost Virgil van Dijk to a hamstring injury earlier this month and recalled a young defender from loan as a result.

Nat Phillips could be set to leave Liverpool in January after Rhys Williams was recalled from his loan spell at Blackpool.

Phillips, 25, has played just 66 minutes of Premier League football this season. He has scored for Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez in recent months but is keen to leave Merseyside to play more regularly.

Phillips was originally expected to stay at Liverpool until the end of the season after Van Dijk suffered a hamstring injury against Brentford earlier this month. But William’s return paved the way for him to apply for a loan or a permanent contract.

Williams, 21, is back at Anfield after 17 league games for Blackpool this season. He has played in just one of the Tangerines’ last five games in all competitions and left Bloomfield Road following the appointment of Mick McCarthy last Thursday

As reported by The Athletic, Williams is unlikely to complete another loan swap – Phillips may leave instead. Phillips has reached a stage in his career where he wants to play regularly, having only played 70 professional games to date.

Liverpool fans will fondly remember Phillips and Williams for their defensive partnership during the 2020/21 season when Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip were all ruled out with long-term injuries. The inexperienced pair helped them to third place in the table.

That was quite a feat as Liverpool had lost six straight home games and slipped to eighth place in the table. With Phillips and Williams central to Klopp’s defence, they have won eight of their last 10 games to qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool are in a similar position this season. They have won just eight of their first 19 league games and are now ninth in the table, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and third-placed Newcastle. However, they have a game in hand for both teams.

With Gomez, Matip and Konate all fit at the moment, Klopp is unlikely to need both Williams and Phillips in his squad. The latter played on loan at Stuttgart and Bournemouth and won promotions at both clubs.

Manchester United are the most successful team in Premier League history having won 13 titles and are currently managed by Erik ten Hag.

United have not lifted the Premier League trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, as David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all failed to match his success. However, Ten Hag’s appointment in 2022 has brought new hope to fans. The Dutchman attracted Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, among others, while Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes returned to flourish. The United manager has also suspended Cristiano Ronaldo… but only time will tell if it was the right decision.

Also…

Steven Gerrard compares new Chelsea superstar Mykhailo Mudryk to Bayern munich Legend

Mudryk eased the deadlock with a 35th-minute cameo from the bench by Graham Potter’s team and began to wreak havoc in the Liverpool defence.
The Ukrainian demonstrated the quality of prestige which earned him his £88m move to Stamford Bridge. Lui created openings with his blistering pace and nearly scored in the 65th minute after dribbling past James Milner and Joe Gomez in the Liverpool box before firing his shot wide. networks.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was quick to compare what he initially saw from the wing against his former club with the qualities of Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben.

“If I were a Chelsea fan I would be extremely excited about Mudryk because he’s been a really strong cameo coming from the squad and if he’s not fit there’s more to come in that department,” Gerrard told BT Sport.

He looks real, some of today’s clips of him are excellent. He reminded me a bit of Arjen Robben today, he got it wrong on first contact, but from there his footwork and his speed, the way he handled the ball. I would be very excited if I was Chelsea.

Robben is considered one of the best wingers in the world over the past 15 years, having won Champions League, Bundesliga and Premier League titles with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, among others.

Analyzing every highlight of Mudryk’s first experience of English football, legendary Manchester United defender Ferdinand insisted his signing was an “exciting time for Chelsea fans”.

“We all saw explosive pace, but I also saw soft feet there and good decisions in the final third and composure when running fast.

“These qualities are scary for a full-back position. It’s an exciting time for Chelsea fans and I’m sure there will be Arsenal fans wondering why we didn’t get it.
Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has praised the 22-year-old, saying Mudryk’s impact from the bench had ‘endangered’ the hosts’ defence, and insisting the Ukrainian will score the necessary goals for Chelsea alongside Joao Felix.
What he did today was threaten Liverpool. If you manage to do something like that in the final third, you can turn someone away and still be a goal threat. As well as Joao Felix, Chelsea have two new players to sign.

“When you have a player like that in your ranks, it gets the crowd going. He had a 35 minute cameo and he really wowed me.