Jurgen Klopp tells Celtic Nat Phillips cynics that Liverpool loan transfer flop was NOTHING to do with his quality

The centre-back failed to make a mark at Celtic Park as he managed just four starts for the Scottish champions.

Bullish Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has declared that Nat Phillips loan flop at Celtic was nothing to do with the defender's lack of quality.

Phillips made just eight appearances for the Scottish Premiership leaders after arriving in August, with only four of those being starts, and has now returned to Anfield. An injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers meant he was drafted in as Brendan Rodgers went through a mini defensive crisis, but the emergence of Liam Scales saw the 26-year-old relegated to the fringes of the Parkhead squad.

Phillips' final appearance for the Hoops came in the defeat at Kilmarnock where the centre-back netted an own goal. But now his Liverpool loan has come to and end Klopp delivered a defiant response to doubters of the defender. Ahead of the FA Cup clash with Arsenal, the German boss was quizzed on the future of Phillips. He responded: “With Nat we have to see. We have to consider our own situation, stuff like this.

“He will definitely be with us until the end of the month. We will have talks and see our situation, that’s how it is.

“We really think highly actually of both, to be honest, because of the things the boys did when they were here. Now Nat, I’m not sure he would say it worked out 100 percent at Celtic.

“A little bit with injuries, but then if a team like Celtic is in a positive moment and you are in the team, then you stay in the team; if it’s not a positive moment and you are in the team, then you might go out. That says nothing about the quality. Nat will train with us, and then we will see how that develops.”