Former England No. 1 Paul Robinson has admitted his admiration for Caoimhin Kelleher after the young ‘keeper performed superbly in the absence of Alisson Becker.
The Brazilian shot-stopper is current isolating after contracting Covid-19 so the Irishman was named in the starting XI for Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea yesterday.
“I’m a big fan of Kelleher as well,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“He is a goalkeeper that I like a lot.
“It is not easy coming in as a number two goalkeeper, especially in a massive game like that. He is still only 23 let’s remember.
“He’s done everything and more when Klopp has called upon him. Of course, when Alisson is fit he plays.
“Kelleher normally only gets games in the cup competitions so he deserves praise for keeping himself right mentally. Whenever he gets an opportunity, he plays well. It tells me that he has great mental strength and character.”
The Reds’ No. 62 made a number of impressive saves throughout the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, including a decent stop to prevent Mason Mount from giving the hosts the lead in the second half.
The performance has raised some questions about how long the 23-year-old will accept being our second choice ‘keeper.
He has one of, if not the best goalkeeper in the world ahead of him in Alisson and it’s clear that he’s learning from him everyday in training.
Kelleher is once again expected to be called upon when we travel to the Emirates on Thursday to face Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final.
Hopefully, he can put in another impressive display and put us one step closer to a trip to Wembley.