Jurgen Klopp is set to call upon a player who’s been on the periphery for much of his time at Liverpool but who, in the manager’s words, ‘deserves his opportunity’ to shine.
The 56-year-old confirmed on Wednesday that Alisson Becker will be injured for at least the next couple of weeks, which duly opens the door for Caoimhin Kelleher to get a run in the starting XI.
The Republic of Ireland international has yet to feature in the Premier League so far this season, instead having to make do with game-time in the Europa League and Carabao Cup (Transfermarkt).
However, Klopp outlined that the 25-year-old would’ve featured against LASK on Thursday regardless of what happened to Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper, stating (via BBC Sport): “He [Kelleher] would have played anyway. He deserves his opportunity to get a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.”
Only the continued brilliance of Alisson has prevented Kelleher from establishing himself at Anfield, with the Irishman making just 26 appearances for Liverpool up to this point (Transfermarkt).
However, he looks set to play tomorrow night and in the forthcoming Premier League games against Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, while he could be counted upon to face Manchester United and Arsenal later in December depending on how quickly the Brazilian recovers from injury.
The 25-year-old has come good for the Reds when called upon in the past, famously starring in the Carabao Cup final penalty shootout against Chelsea two seasons ago, and he’s proven particularly adept at thwarting the opposition from 12 yards out on many other occasions.
There was plenty of top-flight interest in Kelleher during the summer, and he’d reportedly been prepared to leave Liverpool in order to play more regularly elsewhere, but Klopp will now be hugely thankful that the club didn’t cash in on the Irishman.
Our number 62 will almost certainly stand down again once Alisson is fully fit, but over the next few weeks he has the perfect chance to show to his manager that perhaps the goalkeeping berth ought not to be as nailed-on as what it has been in recent years.