Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Saturday's debutant Nat Philipps for his Man of the Match display against West Ham.
Philipps was called up to Klopp's squad following an injury crisis that has seen Liverpool go without star players Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho.
Klopp said Philipps 'helped the team incredibly' to beat David Moyes's side 2-1 after initially going 1-0 down when Pablo Fornals opened the scoring just 10 minutes in.
Klopp referred to Philipps as a 'monster in the air' and said his performance was 'incredible'.
Sky pundit Jamie Carragher was of the same opinion as Klopp, naming Philipps as the man of the match after the game.
Reflecting on Philipps's performance, Klopp told The Match of The Day: 'He's a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything. He's not easy on the eye, he's not Messi but who cares?'
'In the air, he's a monster! He was incredible.
'For the first game, I think everyone can imagine how nervy that must be after a long wait. It's a crazy story, three years ago he was on his way to America to college.
'Twelve Championship teams wanted him and to me it was clear he was going, and I was fine with that - and it didn't work out for whatever reason, and it's great! Tonight he was spot on, helped the team incredibly.'
Philipps joined Liverpool four-years-ago after a successful trial - having previously represented Bolton's academy side.
The 23-year-old spent last season on-loan at Bundesliga 2 side Stuttgart, making 22 appearances for the German side.
His only other senior start for the Reds was in the FA Cup last season, when a Curtis Jones stunner ensured Liverpool humiliated a full-strength Everton side at Anfield.