Nat Phillips is ready to provide a major test of Brendan Rodgers’ man management.
As the transfer window closed at the end of August Nat Phillips was signed on loan from Liverpool, a few days later the unlikely pairing of Gus Lagerbielke and Liam Scales kept a clean sheet in the Glasgow Derby to help deliver three points that few Celtic fans had predicted.
Against Dundee on Saturday Rodgers has three central defenders with strong claims for a staring place, so far this season the hoops have played a back four in every match.
Declaring his readiness, Phillips told the Daily Record:
I’m now just itching to go and get into the games. I’m fit and ready to play now. I have had two weeks training under my belt so we’ll see if I can get a game at the weekend but I’m feeling good.
The Rangers game just came a bit soon, that’s all it was. There was some talk about maybe playing but the important thing was the team got the win.
During his first season at Celtic Rodgers was faced with a similar situation with Dedryck Boyata.
Before the winter break the former Manchester City defender only played one match but after a training trip to Dubai and a suspension to Erik Sviatchenko, Boyata was brought into the side for a Scottish Cup tie against Albion Rovers and was rarely out of the side.
Sviatchenko’s Celtic career never really recovered, 17 months later Boyata was playing for Belgium in the World Cup Finals.
Looks like a guy that wants to play all the time…
If he’s good enough then why not ?
Needs to do his talking on the park though to prove it – unlike Sakala and Co. at Sevco !
We have had a horrendous start with all the injuries that we have , but I believe it will only make the stars at celtic
Dig deeper to give performances that only define how committed the players are .