Liverpool told they have a ‘magnificent’ £2m starlet after ‘brilliant’ loan spell

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Marcelo Pitaluga is still remembered fondly at Macclesfield on the back of his ‘magnificent’ performances on loan from Premier League giants Liverpool. 

You can probably count on one finger – let alone one hand – the amount of players who arrived at Macclesfield Town with Fluminense on their CV.

And if there were any concerns about Marcelo Pitaluga’s ability or willingness to adapt to life in the bread-and-butter of non-league, the Liverpool loanee soon dispelled those fears with a string of stand-out displays. 

Robbie Savage, the former Wales international who now works as a sporting director at Macclesfield, insists that Pitaluga was a major reason why the Silkmen cruised to the National League North title in 2022/23, even if an ankle injury limited him to just 17 appearances in England’s eighth tier.

Liverpool have a brilliant young goalkeeper

“We didn’t think we’d get him,” Savage recalls, speaking to the Liverpool Echo. “But Liverpool believed in what we had done. 

“The big thing was, at these levels, can a young goalkeeper handle players coming into them? The rough and tumble of non-league? And to be fair, he handled it extremely well.

“He’s a brilliant lad and was magnificent for us. One-v-one, he was brilliant. And he learned a lot in a short amount of time, like when David de Gea come to Britain.

“He adapted and that’s the sign of a good goalkeeper. He adapted and was magnificent for us.”

Liverpool signed Pitaluga back in 2020 for a deal which could rise to around £2 million. According to UOL, there is a belief at Anfield that the now-20-year-old shot-stopper can eventually fill the boots (or should that be gloves) of fellow Brazilian Alisson Becker. 

Whether Pitaluga reaches such heights remains to be seen. But Savage certainly believes the youngster ‘has all the attributes’, both physically and mentally. 

Alisson Becker’s Anfield successor?

“The size, he’s a good communicator, and he’s willing to learn, which is a good thing,” Savage adds. “Marcelo will go on to have a great career because he’s got that resilience.

“The next step would be to go to a league club, have a season of that and then see where he progresses. He’s got the capabilities, playing for Brazil at the youth ages. And (he) will have a career in football whether that’s Premier League, Championship, League One or League Two.”