“But he will be in goal before the end of December if things continue like they are now.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has given an update on the fitness of Alisson Becker and the standing of Caoimhin Kelleher in the club’s pecking order.
Given the Cork keeper’s run of form for Ireland and Liverpool – in the absence of Reds No 1 Alisson – it was hoped that the Brazilian stopper may have to earn his place back gradually.
However, Slot’s most recent comments have ended this notion. Understandably as well, given that Alisson is widely considered the best keeper in the world when fit.
Slot said:
“The moment Alisson will be fit he will be our first goalkeeper.
“It’s always big decisions you have to make as the manager of Liverpool because we have so many quality players. But I have been clear about what my position is about our goalkeepers
“We are just waiting for the moment Alisson is completely fit, because Caoimhin is doing too well to put Alisson in goal if he’s only on 50pc.
“He’s getting there, it might take a few more days but he’s getting closer and closer. The end phase of a rehab is always the most (important), ‘is he really there or does he need a few extra days?’.
“But he will be in goal before the end of December if things continue like they are now.”
Kelleher is coming off the back of two clean sheets against Real Madrid and Man City. In the two matches, he saved a penalty from Kylian Mbappe and a late one-on-one against Kevin de Bruyne.
This earned him huge praise from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk: “Fantastic goalkeeper, fantastic human being.
“It’s never easy to be a back-up goalkeeper, but obviously in his case, he has an unbelievable, amazing goalkeeper in front of him.
“But obviously the time that he has been playing, he has been absolutely outstanding.
“I really enjoy looking at him, seeing him, how much he has improved and played with confidence.
“I remember one of his first games when he won us a penalty shoot-out.
“He’s come from a long way as well and he’s an amazing goalkeeper.”
How to stream football legally for free this December
The fast approaching of the Christmas season means only one thing for football fans, an absolutely jam-packed schedule of festive footy action to light up those dark winter evenings.
However, not every fan will be aware that many of the games will not be available on the usual sports broadcasters but instead can be viewed on Amazon Prime in the UK for a bumper deal featuring a whopping 20 Premier League clashes, including Arsenal vs Manchester United, Newcastle vs Liverpool and Manchester City vs Nottingham Forrest.
Sign up to a free Amazon Prime trial here and don’t miss a second of the action.
In Ireland, fans can watch the above matches on Premier Sports. For more information, click here.
