Such is the quality in the Premier League, particularly at big clubs like Liverpool, that young players find it incredibly difficult to break through these days.
Most are now openly telling their clubs they want a loan move to aid their development, with Germany a new favourite stomping ground for English youth.
Jadon Sancho’s growth with Borussia Dortmund has seen an explosion in young players heading to Germany to try and replicate his success.
Nathaniel Phillips is one such player as the 22-year-old elected to leave Liverpool this summer, albeit on loan, seeking out regular playing time elsewhere with the opportunities not forthcoming at Anfield.
He ended up at 2.Bundesliga side Stuttgart, joining the German team on a season-long loan deal. He’s since featured in two of their four league games to date, as well as playing 45 minutes in the DFB-Pokal win over Hansa Rostock.
He’s now sat down to talk about the move with BILD, explaining how it was Jürgen Klopp’s influence that made him choose Germany as his destination this year.
“I told Jürgen Klopp about some of the offers I had. Stuttgart weren’t there yet, but Jürgen was not enthusiastic about the options, and I think he called Sven Mislintat shortly after our interview,” he told the newspaper.
“Klopp congratulated me on this step, and he immediately sent me a message on his mobile: ‘Good club, great city, my birthplace, I wish you a great time.’”
“Tim Walter is a bit like Klopp, both are very positive, have fun, are passionate and dedicated, which is great for the fans as well as for us players, and they have similar ideas about counter-pressing. “
“VfB are a bit like the Liverpool of the 2nd League: everyone wants to beat the club, for many opponents, it is the game of the year.”
