Nat Phillips has talked up the qualities of Liverpool new boy Ibrahima Konate despite seeing the French centre-half provide him with added competition for places at Anfield.
The Reds made the 22-year-old their only notable addition of a quiet summer transfer window, with defensive reinforcements sought following an injury-ravaged 2020-21 campaign.
Phillips, who has signed a new contract on Merseyside, could find himself knocked further down the pecking order but he is embracing that challenge and the acquisition of another quality operator.
What has been said?
Phillips told the Liverpool Echo of £36 million ($50m) signing Konate: "He’s slotted in perfectly. As a person he gets on with the lads really well, he’s not shy but he looks like he really wants to learn and improve. He’s motivated and works hard.
"From what I’ve seen of him in pre-season, he looks like a top, top player and a top defender. Physically he’s unbelievable. He’s so young and still has plenty of time to improve and I’m sure he will do that at Liverpool."
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Can Phillips compete for game time?
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Phillips made 20 appearances for Liverpool last season as he made the most of enforced absences for others.
The return to fitness of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip meant most expected to see him head through the exits, either on loan or in a permanent deal, but he is sticking around and looking to make the most of working with superstar team-mates on a daily basis.
Phillips said: "The whole time I’ve been training with the first-team, I’ve had to perform against those boys; Mo, Sadio, Bobby, Jota since he’s come in, Divock [Origi] these attackers that are world-class only improve you as a player because you’re being tested at the top level every single day.
"It’s sink or swim and you have to adapt to that which is something I’ve been doing over the last few years and as a result of that it makes you a better player."
