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Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has claimed that Caoimhin Kelleher will stay put at Liverpool as long as he remains first-choice for his country, Ireland.
The Irish goalkeeper, who was the hero of the Reds’ Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea, currently plays second-fiddle to Alisson Becker. The 23-year-old has featured in only eight games this season but has always produced the goods when called upon.
Despite not playing regularly, Kelleher has emerged as The Republic of Ireland’s no. 1 goalkeeper. He has featured in consecutive internationals against Belgium and Lithuania, which, Robinson believes, bodes well for Liverpool. The Englishman thinks the Merseysiders would be able to keep Kelleher as long as they give him enough minutes to retain his place with Ireland.
Discussing the Ireland international’s future at Anfield, the 42-year-old told Football Insider:
“He has got a fair bit of game time this season. The fact Klopp played him in the cup final says a lot. His international career has not been hampered by the fact he’s not the number one at Liverpool.”
Robinson added:
“If he was missing three-quarters of the season and not getting a chance at international level, that would be an issue. As long as he is playing a certain percentage of the games and is his country’s number one I think he’ll be happy to stay.”
Robinson, however, did not think that the 23-year-old would always remain content playing behind Alisson.
He added:
“There will come a point where he will want to play every week though. He is not going to be one of these guys who sits on the bench for his whole career. How much patience does he have? I suspect he is very happy at the moment but there will come a time.”
Kelleher, who rose through the Reds’ youth system featured in four EFL games this season, keeping three clean sheets. He also scored the winning penalty in a 11-10 shootout win over Chelsea in the final.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sends hand-written note to Caoimhin Kelleher’s boyhood club
The Reds’ coach Jurgen Klopp has sent a personalized thank you message to Kelleher’s boyhood club Ringmahon. In the letter, Klopp thanked the team for sending the Irishman to Liverpool, adding that the goalkeeper had done them proud.
Apart from the special thank you note, Klopp has also sent them Kelleher’s EFL Cup-winning jersey. The former Borussia Dortmund manager is widely hailed as one of the nicest men around, and his latest gesture further cements that claim.
