Old Firm rivals Celtic reportedly want to sign Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips on loan; with the player’s dad Jimmy formerly a Rangers player!
According to the Times, Brendan Rodgers hopes to complete a season-long loan for the 26-year-old centre-back amid an ominous defensive injury crisis at Parkhead.
Leading centre-back Cameron Carter Vickers faces a decent spell on the sidelines where he’ll be joined by summer singing Maik Nawrocki and academy graduate Stephen Welsh.
At the very least all three will miss the weekend’s Scottish Premiership clash with Rangers and it means Nat Phillips could be pitched straight in at Ibrox if a move goes through.
The centre-back came through at Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool and has spent time out on loan at VfB Stuttgart and Bournemouth during his time at Anfield.
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Nat Phillips – son of ex-Rangers star Jimmy – wanted by Celtic
Rangers fans of a certain vintage will remember Jimmy Phillips from the late 1980s, where the English midfielder played one season for Rangers in 87/88.
Signed from Bolton Wanderers, the defender played 25 league games for Rangers in that season before returning down south with Oxford United and eventually playing for Middlesbrough.
Whilst it was only a brief stint in Glasgow, who’d have though 35 years later Jimmy Phillips would be back in the news surrounding Rangers with his son Nat.
Only this time it’s because Nat Phillips could be in line to make his debut at Rangers – the place his father used to call home – for the club’s Old Firm rivals Celtic this weekend.
To make matters worse, if the centre-back is pitched straight in he’ll be up against 50,000 baying Rangers supporters after Celtic rejected their ticket allocation for the match.
As far as baptisms of fire go, this one is right up there and let’s see if Celtic can go on to complete a deal for Nat Phillips this week.