DUBLIN -- Nathaniel Phillips is still soaking it all in. The centre-half has the been the surprise package of Liverpool's preseason and, therefore, more than justified the huge "risk" he took as a teenager to join the club.
Phillips, 21, has featured regularly for Liverpool this summer. He was part of the 29-man squad that toured the United States after impressing in four earlier domestic warmup games.
Liverpool's first stop was in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they would play Borussia Dortmund. That particular destination was fitting for Phillips, who had underwent a whirlwind journey to reach this point.