AFC Bournemouth
Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips has claimed he has “enjoyed every minute” of working under Scott Parker at AFC Bournemouth.
The 25-year-old centre-back arrived at Vitality Stadium on deadline day as the second of five incomings on 31st January.
Having already featured for the full 90 in Liverpool’s 2-1 Champions League win against AC Milan this season, Phillips went on to make 17 Championship appearances for the Cherries.
Speaking on working under the Bournemouth head coach to afcb.co.uk, he said: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“I’ve said from the start when people have asked me about it, he’s very detailed and meticulous in the way that he plans games.
“The way that he sets his teams and the way that he approaches games are very clear in terms of the instructions that he gives us.
“Also, in the messages that he wants to deliver us and in the sessions that he puts on as well; they very much align with what we wanted to achieve.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and also the other side of the game, the more emotional aspect and that side of things, I feel like he’s good at tapping into that side of stuff.
“So, it’s been a pleasure to work under him.”
With the loan move to the south coast being the Reds defender’s first taste of the English second tier, the challenge has been one that Phillips has enjoyed.
“It’s certainly been a challenge but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, don’t get me wrong, and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of trying to achieve promotion,” he explained.
“It’s been a different challenge in a relentless league, a league where anyone can beat anyone.
“Every game you go into, you’ve got to be on top of your game to make sure you get the result. There are loads of different styles of play in the division.
“Most importantly, the main reason I came here was to be playing regularly and I’m fortunate that the gaffer’s trusted me and given me the opportunity.
“All in all, I’ve really enjoyed it and I’ve done what I came here to do.”
Phillips also explained that the side had eyes on other goals going into the Cherries’ Championship finale despite a return to the Premier League having already been sealed.
He shared: “We still had other goals which we wanted to achieve. We wanted to make sure that we got those clean sheets, there were other records there to be won and broken.
“We even went as far as looking at offsides drawn! I don’t know if we managed to get that in the end, but they were in the back of our mind playing.
“There was plenty to play for even though the main goal had already been achieved, we just had to enjoy that occasion.
"There was a great atmosphere around the place and we had a bit less pressure on us, I felt like we did well with that.”
