Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal for Liverpool against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, provided the 22-year-old remains fit.
Klopp chose Kelleher to make his Champions League debut ahead of regular substitute Adrian for the win over Ajax on Tuesday, when the Irish youth international claimed zero.
With Alisson Becker expected to miss Wolves’ visit, Klopp admitted the shot stopper is in line for a Premier League bow.
“There are not many reasons I could say at this point to say that he will not start against Wolves,” the Liverpool manager said of Kelleher. “But there is training in between, he has to stay fit, we have sessions, all this kind of thing.
“But he has done enough to convince me. He did that a few years ago but sometimes you have to wait for the right time and the right time came on Tuesday.
“But he has done enough to convince me, but he did a few years ago.”
Klopp also praised veteran backup Adrian’s response, saying the Spaniard ‘doesn’t deserve’ to be written off due to Kelleher’s rise.
“In life we have to prove things. Unfortunately, it is,” said Klopp.
“Caoimh is an extremely talented goalkeeper. But for goalkeepers it is really difficult because they have to wait. You can be exceptional and have to wait for a chance because there is only one goalkeeper on the field.
“When a goalkeeper plays for 10 consecutive years, it can be quite difficult. As goalkeeper you can be number two and nobody can see [how good you are].
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“Now he has his chance and he has convinced everyone. He did not have to convince us, of course we thought it would go like this, but he convinced everyone and that is good.
But Adrian doesn’t deserve to just write him off now. There is no reason for that.
“He’s important to Caoimh in an exceptional way. After getting the information he didn’t want to get into, he was incredible and I have a lot of respect for that. I actually expected it, but I have a lot of respect for it.”
How excited are you about Caoimhin Kelleher’s potential? Let us know in the comments.
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