Nat Phillips’ Celtic future is decided as the Liverpool defender’s loan deal comes to an end.

The defender initially joined the Hoops on loan until January.

Nat Phillips will return to Liverpool next month after finishing his loan at Celtic.

The 26-year-old goaltender joined the Hoops on a short-term contract at the end of August to help solve a defensive injury crisis. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh, Maik Nawrocki, and Yuki Kobayashi all suffered long-term injuries, leaving the Scottish champions’ backline depleted.

However, after taking some time to get up to full match fitness, Anfield fringe player Phillips struggled to impress and appeared out of sorts in the Scottish Premiership. Brendan Rodgers has used the ex-Stuttgart and Bournemouth loanee just eight times, with his most recent appearance coming in last week’s defeat at Kilmarnock.

Phillips put the ball in his own net as the Rugby Park side rallied to defeat the league leaders 2-1 in Ayrshire, with the custodian drawing harsh criticism from fans. According to the Athletic, Phillips will not be offered a contract extension and will instead return to Jurgen Klopp’s side next month with the intention of joining another club on loan for the second half of the season.

It comes after Celtic No. 2 John Kennedy admitted last week that the club would need to offload at least two central defenders, with seven currently on the books. Japanese defender Kobayashi is set to return to his homeland, while Parkhead are said to be open to offers for Gustaf Lagerbielke, who joined the club for £3 million in the summer.

In other mews, Cameron Carter-Vickers insists that Hearts shouldn’t have had a Celtic free kick prior to the goal, but hurting star bins excuses