“I could see [him] at...": Liverpool starter urged to join Premier League side

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has tipped Nathaniel Phillips to join Burnley after his displays for Liverpool this season.

The 2020/21 Premier League season has come to a close and Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have covered themselves in glory, helping their side put together a run of form that saw Liverpool take maximum points in their final five games of the season.

Phillips was particularly impressive and while he's flawed, he'll likely go down as a cult hero for his bravery and desire to impress. He started 15 games for Liverpool in the second half of the season as he became one of the first names on the team sheet in van Dijk's absence.

That said, with Liverpool on the verge of signing Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig as part of a deal worth around €35million, Phillips chances of playing next season seem slim and he should capitalise on his impressive form.

Per 90 minutes this season, Phillips averages 0.9 blocks per game which is better than Harry Maguire (0.7) and Ruben Dias (0.8) - the favourites to feature in the Premier League's Team of the Season.

Since he came into the side, Liverpool (0.7) have averaged the fewest goals conceded per game, with Manchester United (1.1) and Manchester City (0.8) trailing them.

Lee Hendries believes he should move to Burnley: “He has been a breath of fresh air, you’ve got to say. What I like about him, is he a Liverpool-style player? Possibly not, but everyone’s grown to like what he’s been all about.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve, he puts his head where he shouldn’t do. Why shouldn’t he be one of the better centre-halves around?

“He’s the type of player, no disrespect, that I could see at a Burnley or somewhere like that. He’s that style of player.”

Liverpool essentially have to choose between having four or five senior centre-backs this summer. His first three will obviously be Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and the incoming giant that is Ibrahima Konate.

Beyond that trio, he's still got Joel Matip, Ozan Kabak and Phillips. The latter might be the least naturally gifted but he's shown he's reliable and will defend with his life and perhaps most importantly, he's got the best injury record.

Matip is 29 and made of glass so he should be the first to go but Kabak will cost Liverpool just below £20m which will factor into Klopp's decision making.

While I believe it's in Phillips' best interest to leave in search of guaranteed football, my ideal scenario would be for Liverpool to have van Dijk, Gomez, Konate and Phillips as the four senior central defenders going into next season with Rhys Williams to go out on loan to get some more experience.