Nat Phillips held his first Celtic media conference yesterday, which The Celtic Star has previously posted about, and it was great viewing. The big man has a calmness about him that instils a confidence without having ever seen him play in a Celtic jersey yet. He comes across really well in interview and you can tell he’s very relaxed about the while situation regarding his stay in Scottish football.

Obviously he’s a seasoned campaigner having played for Liverpool on big nights in European football and that experience seems to exude from him even when talking about football. Many Liverpool supporters were sad to see him go and with good reason; he’s a solid professional and at 26-years-old is coming into his peak years as a footballer.

Many have pointed out his seamless transition from Jurgen Klopp’s bench to the starting XI a while ago now, when the Reds faced a similar crisis to the one that we now find ourselves in with defenders. He came to the rescue for the German coach throughout a very tough spell and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping he can do the same for him at Celtic Park.

Let’s not forget also that Phillips is a UEFA Champions League winner which carries with it an aura all of its own when discussing players in relation to the footballing environment up here in Scotland. That kind of gravitas is not to an sniffed at and is the exact kind of individual who was needed to shepherd us through this most testing of times on the injury front.

I can’t wait to see the big fella in action.

Paul Gillespie

How many world class footballers can you spot in the photo below which is part of the new series on The Celtic Star?

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