Liverpool defender Nat Phillips admits he was upset last summer being blocked from leaving on-loan before the squad's injury crisis hit.
The powerful defender thought he had no chance of making Jurgen Klopp's first team when a potential loan move to the Championship was blocked last summer.
But the alarming injury crisis at Anfield, which has sidelined Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Fabinho and now Jordan Henderson, meant Phillips was thrust into the limelight.
He told Sky Sports: "'At the end of pre-season, it looked like I was on my way out and going elsewhere to get some games and start my career, and carry on off the back of my loan spell (at Stuttgart) last season.
"Initially, when it first happened, everybody was fit, and it didn't look like there would be any scenario where I would be playing for Liverpool's first team this year.
"I was a bit disappointed because I was looking forward to going and playing football and just kick-starting my career, but obviously things changed, and I don't think anybody could have seen what was coming, and it was like a typical example of how bizarre football can be sometimes.
"I think it was within a month I was making my debut."
