Liverpool set to keep faith in Caoimhin Kelleher after Champions League heroics

The Corkman stopper made a very impressive Champions League debut against Ajax on Tuesday

Fri, 04 Dec, 2020 - 22:30

Carl Markham

Jürgen Klopp says Caoimhin Kelleher is a "sensationally talented goalie" as he looks set to retain the young Irishman for SUnday's clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Corkman stopper made a very impressive Champions League debut against Ajax on Tuesday, keeping a clean sheet in the Reds' 1-0 win to secure progress to the knockout stages.

With Alisson Becker still out with a hamstring injury, Kelleher is likely to start again at Anfield.

“It was a big call to throw him into that game but thank God, it worked out," said Klopp of the former Ringmahon Rangers man's Tuesday night display. "That’s unfortunately not always the case, that doesn’t make the players worse, it is just the wrong timing of the manager.

“For him it was right, that’s good. Now we will see how we carry on.

“Caoimhin is a sensationally talented goalie. And for goalies it’s really difficult, goalies have to wait. They can be exceptional but they have to wait for their chance because there’s only one goalie on the pitch and if this goalie plays for 10 years in a row, it’s pretty difficult. You can be still a wonderful goalie and nobody will see.

Now he got the chance and I think he convinced everybody.

"He didn’t have to convince us, obviously – we thought it will be like this. But he convinced everybody, that’s good.

“But Adrian doesn’t deserve just to be written off now, there’s no reason for that. He supported Caoimhin in an exceptional way. After he got the information that he would not start, he behaved unbelievably. Really, really a lot of respect for that. He expected it actually, but anyway a lot of respect for it.

“And Caoimhin did well. So, there are not a lot of reasons I could mention in this moment to say he will not start against Wolves, but there is training in between and other things, he has to stay fit, we have sessions. All this kind of stuff.

“But he has done enough to convince me, but he did that already months and years ago. Sometimes you have wait for the right moment and we thought the right moment came on Tuesday.”

Meanwhile Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo remains cautiously optimistic Raul Jimenez can make a successful comeback following his shocking injury.

The striker is recovering in hospital after undergoing an operation on a fractured skull.

Jimenez clashed heads with David Luiz in Wolves' 2-1 win at Arsenal on Sunday but has made good early progress.

Former England international Ryan Mason was forced to retire at just 26 in 2018, almost 12 months after suffering a fractured skull while playing for Hull at Chelsea.

Nuno and Wolves have been keen to underline the severity of the injury but he is hopeful £32million forward Jimenez will return.

"Now if you ask me personally, put aside my wish and my desire, I want him and I am positive he’s going to come back," he said.

"He’s going to come back. What the medical team did was amazing – both teams, Arsenal’s and ours. This is why we trust them and we thank them so much.

"This is what the doctor insists to me – first days are crucial. He was really well taken care of on the pitch and during the journey in the ambulance.

"There was not even a moment when he was not being given oxygen so this is what determines the next steps to take. Now he is recovering.

"Now our real concern is that he recovers totally. After that we will have time.

"On these situations, it has to do a lot with the evolution of the player, how he feels, but now I’m positive because the first days are so important."