With Liverpool one point off top spot in the league following the 1-0 win over Aston Villa, the Reds have entered a crucial part of the season as the fixtures stack up. Nat Phillips came off worst in a headed challenge with Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic last week, fracturing his cheek bone.
Harvey Elliott continues his recovery from the horror injury sustained against Leeds United. The 18-year-old has been seen playing with a ball at the AXA Training Centre, and may be in line for a return to the side in the coming months.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked Goal’s Neil Jones for an injury update on the pair.
Neil said:
[On Nat Phillips]
“Real rotten luck for Nat that, isn’t it? He got a whack in the face, played on, sorted the game out, went ‘My cheekbone is a bit sore’ and they [the club doctors] went ‘Yeah, you’ve fractured it’. Poor lad. I really hope not, but there’s a good chance it might be his last game for Liverpool and it’s in the San Siro. His last act might be that Cruyff turn. It looks like he’s going to be out until early new year. If he was to miss the Shrewsbury game in the cup, that might be his chance gone in terms of playing again for Liverpool.”
[On Harvey Elliott]
“Back in team training maybe the end of January, with the view to in February he might be able to get the green light to return. Let’s hope so. The good thing is it’s not a case of ‘just get him back on the pitch’, there’s not a pressing need to get him back on the pitch.”
Nat Phillips can consider himself very unlucky to be out at the time of the season where he could have got some game time.
Liverpool have a Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City and an FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town to negotiate in the coming weeks, both of which could have been opportunities for Phillips.
If Big Nat is to leave in January, then we may have already seen the last of him in a red shirt. With Liverpool’s redrawn tie against Inter Milan coming up next year, maybe he will fancy another trip to Lombardy to show the locals his skills?!
Harvey Elliott’s recovery is continuing well, and it is good to hear he could be seen again in the early spring next year. Many fans will have considered his season over after his trip to a Yorkshire hospital. Thankfully, Liverpool’s midfield options have been boosted in recent weeks so there is no desire to rush him back. The young man has a long career and a lot of good days in a red shirt ahead of him.
