Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told The Independent that he thinks Caoimhin Kelleher is a ‘top talent’ after his performance against Ajax.
With Alisson out with a small leg injury, Klopp was forced to make a goalkeeping change for last night’s big Champions League game with Ajax.
Many would have expected second-choice stopper Adrian to come in, but Klopp made a bold, surprise decision to start with Kelleher.
Liverpool claimed a 1-0 victory as Curtis Jones bagged the winning goal, profiting from Andre Onana’s error to prod home from a tight angle.
Kelleher fared well, making two key saves to keep out Noussair Mazraoui as well as a match-winning stop to keep out Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s close-range header.
The 22-year-old has been waiting patiently for his big chance, with his only appearances before last night coming in the FA Cup or League Cup.
He seized his big opportunity with a superb performance last night, and could now emerge as Alisson’s primary cover ahead of Adrian if not this season then for years to come.
Now, Klopp has admitted that he thinks Keller is a ‘top talent’ and ‘top footballer’, praising him for doing a really good job and in an ‘exceptional manner’ as he kept a clean sheet on his European debut.
“It is a situation where I have to say it was easy to decide for Caoimh, because he deserves it, but difficult to decide against Adrian because he has done well for us,” said Kelleher. “He did a really good job but tonight we needed the package of Caoimh and he is a top talent, really good shot-stopper and top footballer.”
“In the end it is about keeping the ball out the net and he did that twice and he did that in an exceptional manner. He will either sleep really well tonight or not at all,” he added.
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