‘He will not settle for being number two anymore’ – Ex-England number one weighs in on Caoimhin Kelleher’s Liverpool future

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Former England number one Paul Robinson has claimed that Caoimhin Kelleher may not settle for being Liverpool’s number two for much longer after proving ‘he is good enough at the top level’ during the League Cup final victory over Chelsea on Sunday.

The Irishman scored the winning penalty for the Reds in the shootout at Wembley as well as making a number of impressive point-blank stops during the game with Thomas Tuchel’s side.

“Every time he has played he has done exceptionally well,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“There will come a time where he will not settle for being number two anymore. He has shown that he is good enough to be a number one.

“Jurgen Klopp clearly realises that because he gave him an opportunity in the final. Klopp could have quite easily played Alisson in the final but he believed in Kelleher.

“The young lad didn’t let his manager down either. He proved he is good enough at the top level.

“It is only a matter of time before he wants to leave. He won’t be happy playing second fiddle.

“It happened to me at Leeds. I had a run of 20-odd games and then got taken out of the team. I didn’t want to sit on the bench after tasting that much football. You can only be happy for so long being the second choice.

“I really like Kelleher, I think he is an incredible young talent.”

In his eight appearances so far this term, the 23-year-old has proved he’s got what it takes to play on the biggest of stages, but when he’s competing with Alisson Becker for a spot in the starting XI, his chances are always going to be limited.

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Although our Brazilian stopper played in yesterday’s FA Cup defeat of Norwich City, due to the fatigue Kelleher was experiencing after he completed 120 minutes and a penalty shootout at Wembley on Sunday, you’d expect Kelleher to be given a game in the next round onwards.

It’s of course not nice for any player to sit on the bench, but at just 23 years of age, the Cork-born ‘keeper’s career is only just beginning.

Hopefully, he can continue to perform superbly whenever he’s called upon and carry on impressing Jurgen with both his solid showings and professional attitude.

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