With Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori being the regular pairing at the heart of Liverpool U23s' defence for most of the campaign, commanding centre-half Phillips has had to wait for an opportunity.
After a composed and assured Premier League 2 debut during last Monday’s Anfield meeting with Manchester United, the 19-year-old has put himself in contention for regular selection in Mike Garrity’s side.
The son of former Bolton favourite Jimmy Phillips, Nathan is hoping to get the nod again for today’s Premier League Cup encounter with Ipswich Town - a match you can watch exclusively live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO, with our coverage starting at 12.