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‘Very impressed’: Klopp told he’s got someone with ‘real presence’ at Liverpool but he’s yet to play him

Lee Connor

Sat 17 September 2022 8:45, UK Updated Sat 17 September 2022 16:36, UK

Robbie Keane has been speaking about Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and believes he’d be playing if it wasn’t for Alisson.

Kelleher has yet to play this season but is widely seen as the main challenger and back up to Alisson, while Ireland have also made him their number one in recent months. The 23-year-old has started the last six games for his country, keeping .

And while Kelleher might not be getting the minutes for Liverpool just yet, former striker Robbie Keane believes the Ireland stopper is more than capable, given the opportunity.

“He’s certainly a goalkeeper that should be a No.1 but when you’ve got a world-class ‘keeper in front of you like Alisson, he’ll just have to bide his time. Definitely very impressed with him,” Keane told .

“We’ve been very lucky in the Irish team that we have really good goalkeepers. I’ve definitely been impressed with Caoimhin, just the way he plays – how comfortable, how calm he is in possession of the ball, he has a real presence about him. As I said before, if he didn’t have someone like Alisson in front of him, you’d imagine he possibly could be No.1.”

TBR’s View: Kelleher Will Get His Chance One Day

The question is whether or not that will be at Liverpool. Kelleher is now at an age where minutes are important and he’ll want to be playing really to keep the Ireland number one jersey.

Kelleher certainly has quality and given the chance, Liverpool fans can have confidence that he’ll produce the goods and be an able deputy for Alisson.

However, while 23 is a young age for a goalkeeper, you have to feel in the next 12-18 months that Kelleher will want to be a number one somewhere. And that, really, is the dilemma facing Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in the near future.