David Seaman believes Liverpool need to tighten their defence as they approach the Premier League title run-in with the former Arsenal ‘keeper reserving huge praise for Reds stopper Caoimhin Kelleher.
The Irishman has deputised for Alisson Becker in recent weeks with the Brazilian out of action with a hamstring injury.
Kelleher is often selected by Jurgen Klopp for domestic cup competitions but has received Premier League minutes of late and has not let his teammates down.
Our No.62 has kept three consecutive clean sheets (across all competitions), including the League Cup final defeat of Chelsea at Wembley, and has been labelled as the ‘perfect number two’ by the former England international.
“It’s the sign of a fantastic number two that Caoimhin Kelleher can come in and play his game right from the off,” Seaman said (as quoted by Irish Examiner).
“He doesn’t need time to get settled in or anything like that – he’s making big saves all the time. He’s the perfect number two.”
READ MORE: Richard Dunne explains the ‘sudden’ change which boosts Liverpool’s chances of PL glory
He added: “The worrying part for Liverpool is that him and Alisson are having a lot of work to do – that means their defence is not that tight and they’re giving away a lot of chances. That needs sorting out, but when you’ve got somebody like Kelleher coming in, it’s a brilliant asset for Liverpool to have.
“Then it depends on what he wants to do in the summer. If he’d prefer to leave, then someone like Jurgen Klopp isn’t going to get in his way.
“Obviously, Klopp isn’t going to be at the club at the start of next season, but he’s the type of person to realise and respect how good he’s been to the team and the squad and that if he wants to find a new challenge, he’d probably let him go.”
The Daily Mail reported that Nottingham Forest offered a deadline day offer of £15m for Kelleher in the summer but was instantly rejected by Liverpool.
Klopp confirmed in a press conference recently that ‘it would have had to be a proper price’ for the Reds to even consider selling the Ireland international.
At the majority of clubs in the Premier League the 25-year-old would be a starter but unfortunately for him at Liverpool he has Alisson to contend with.
Our No.1 is recognised by many as the best ‘keeper in the world and it will be hard for Kelleher to dislodge him anytime soon.
It remains to be seen whether he will push for a move away in the summer but he’s proving again this term that he’s a terrific number two.