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Jurgen Klopp has hinted that multiple players can play in the center-back role at the club. The Liverpool manager was talking to the media ahead of the Reds' match against West Ham United when listed a few players who could fill in for Virgil van Dijk.
The manager heaped praise on Nathaniel Phillips and claimed that he could very well be the #1 choice to start alongside Joe Gomez with Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho injured. The 23-year-old was set to leave on loan this summer but stayed put at the club in the end. Klopp noted:
"I know Nat [Phillips] so I was really happy with this development. Since I have known him, he has made big, big steps and is an exceptional character," the Liverpool manager noted.
"There were a lot of clubs interested in him, and in the end, maybe because of the coronavirus crisis, nobody had the money to do it. We expected him to leave the club, to be honest. Thank God he didn't, but that's the reason why he is not in the Champions League squad, the only reason," said Klopp.
Klopp names Liverpool players who could play as center-backs against West Ham
Continuing to talk about the center-back role, Jurgen Klopp hinted that it was not just Nathaniel Phillips who was in the running. He claims that Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, or Andy Robertson are all capable of playing at the heart of the defense, and one of them could feature in that role against West Ham.
"We still have, obviously, other options like Hendo or Gini or James or Robbo who can play at centre-half as well. They are all not smaller than Mascherano, for example, and he played pretty well in that position. So yes, we still have one or two options and we will choose one of them. Which one? You have to switch on the television tomorrow night," said Klopp.
Liverpool are joint top of the table right now despite the thrashing they received at Aston Villa. They have dropped points in just one other match this season - a 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby against Everton.
