"Everyone needs a bit of love from the outside" - Virgil van Dijk heaps praise on 25-year-old Liverpool teammate

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher following his side's 4-1 Premier League win over Brentford on Saturday, February 17.

Kelleher, who has risen through the ranks at Anfield after joining their under-18 side in 2015, has had to step in to make for Alisson's absence, who has missed four Premier League games this season. The win over Brentford was the Ireland international's second consecutive league start.

Van Dijk addressed that being a second goalkeeper is a tough job while praising his teammate. He even termed Kelleher a 'world-class' goalkeeper, saying (via Tribal Football):

“I always said that he is a world-class goalkeeper. It is very difficult to be a second keeper but there is no shame in being second goalkeeper to one of, if not the best goalkeeper in the world.

“He has to step up now and everyone needs a bit of confidence and everyone should give him the confidence that he will do the job. Everyone needs a bit of love from the outside. Hopefully Saturday will help him carry on and take that confidence into the next game."

Kelleher has made 14 appearances for Liverpool across competitions this season, keeping two clean sheets in the process. He was especially impressive against Brentford, making five saves in the game.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp singled out Kelleher for his performance in their 4-1 win over Brentford. He claimed that the goalkeeper deserved to get more chances as 14 of his 35 senior appearances for the Reds have come this term.

The Ireland international is also expected to start in goal in the upcoming EFL Cup final against Chelsea on February 25. The 25-year-old has so far played in all games of the cup competition this term.

Praising the shot-stopper, Klopp said (via This is Anfield):

“He was outstanding (against Brentford). I don’t know exactly who is the number one for Ireland but if they have a better goalkeeper, respect. He’s outstanding. This year we gave him more games than he had previously. It’s well deserved.

“We need him. We need him with rhythm. Now the situation around Alisson shows that makes absolute sense. We will see how long Alisson is out, but Caoimhin is exceptional. (On Saturday) he had an A+ performance.”

The victory over Brentford solidified their position at the top of the Premier League table. They now have 57 points, two more than second-placed Arsenal and four more than third-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.