Bournemouth boss makes admission regarding Liverpool centre-back

Bournemouth manager Scott Parker has admitted that he is hopeful of retaining Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips.

The Englishman joined the Cherries on a six-month loan deal back in January. Phillips has performed well for Bournemouth thus far.

The defender has been averaging a WhoScored player rating of 7.00 across nine championship appearances.

As a result, Parker would like to retain Phillips for next season.

“Maybe, hopefully," the Cherries boss said when asked if the 25-year-old will be at the Vitality Stadium next campaign, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo and Anfield Watch's Twitter account. "At this moment in time, that has not really been discussed. As always, whether with Nat or all the players who are on loan and in where they sit or don't sit, it is really irrelevant.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

Phillips is a good player. You don't end up signing for a club like Liverpool for no reason.

But, the reality is, the centre-back is behind the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez in the Anfield pecking order.

Phillips stated at the backend of 2021 that he wants to be playing as much senior football as possible.

“Obviously I want to be playing as much as possible, but the competition (at Liverpool) is really difficult, so I’ve got to be ready when I’m called upon,” he told liverpoolfc.com.

With that being the case, it would make sense for Phillips to make a permanent move to another club (potentially Bournemouth).

The defender can't be a squad player forever. On another note, we wish Phillips all the best for the remainder of his loan spell with Bournemouth.

The Cherries sit in second-place on the Championship table. Therefore, Phillips and Bournemouth are on the verge of promotion to the Premier League.