The life of a loanee for a premier soccer team must be physically and mentally taxing. On the one hand, you are just on the verge of the first team since your parent club considers you superfluous. However, you aren’t nearly so vital that your club is prepared to let you go completely. So you leave for your new club on what amounts to an extended tryout for both your parent club and any potential suitors who might want to use your specific set of abilities on their squad. The importance of playing for a team at the top of the standings in their new league and getting consistent playing time increases. The accomplishment Nathaniel Phillips made will certainly help him in his quest to sign a long-term contract with Liverpool or another top-tier team.

Nat entered the game for Celtic against Motherwell in the 62nd minute after returning from an injury-related absence. People might be excused for thinking that the match will conclude in the same way with a score of nil-nil. Instead, Celtic scored the game’s first goal in the 87th minute, and then two more goals—Celtic’s equalizer in the 95th and Celtic’s winning goal in the 98th—came in stoppage time. The type of outcome that would bring most focus a feeling of comfort is Phillips returning from injury to see through a thrilling win that keeps his club’s impressive start on track and expands their lead at the top of the table. We can only hope that Nat can continue to advance his case and, in time, secure a spot among the starts for a top-tier team, whether it is Liverpool or somewhere else.