Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has said that one Liverpool player is in the midst of a ‘big spell’ which could have huge consequences not just for his Anfield future but his wider career.
The injury to Alisson Becker has seen Caoimhin Kelleher thrust into the spotlight as the Reds’ starting goalkeeper in their last three games, and the 25-year-old is also set to deputise against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Republic of Ireland stopper has had to be patient for first-team opportunities on Merseyside, where his status as backup to the Brazilian has also seen him play second fiddle to Southampton’s Gavin Bazunu at international level.
Speaking on punditry duty for Premier Sports Ireland last night, Lennon – who guided Celtic to the Champions League knockout stage in 2013 – said of Kelleher: “This is a big spell for him now on a personal level, not just in his career. There’s going to be a lot of Irish fans and potential Irish coaches watching him in this spell.
“Alisson isn’t going to be out for a long time and he hasn’t played a lot of football, Caoimhin. He needs to show that he can perform at this level. He has done it in cup finals, in cup games against Premier League opposition, but he hasn’t played a consistent run of games for a long, long time.
“That’s why Bazunu is getting the nod ahead of him. In the goalkeeping department, compared to a lot of other countries, Ireland are well off. What you want is that competition and somebody to push.
“We don’t know if Caoimhin is the one to do that at the minute. From a personal point of view, he needs to play and he needs to play well.”
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The microscope has indeed been placed firmly on Kelleher amid the injury blow to Alisson, and the Irishman has kept two clean sheets in his three matches since the first-choice ‘keeper tweaked his hamstring against Manchester City.
The 25-year-old’s other game in that period was a rather more difficult day for him as he conceded three against Fulham, with the Londoners’ two first-half goals at Anfield very much preventable.
In the wake of that performance, he’d have had plenty of scrutinous eyes on him in the match against Sheffield United on Wednesday night, but thankfully he came up trumps when his team needed him.
Kelleher dug Joe Gomez out of a hole in the 13th minute after the defender was pickpocketed by Cameron Archer near the halfway line, with the subsequent counterattack seeing the Irish stopper stand tall to deny James McAtee.
An early goal for the Blades could’ve roused them in a big way last night, so it was a crucial stop from the Cork native, who once again showed why Jurgen Klopp didn’t want to sell him in the summer.
How much longer the 25-year-old is content to be Alisson’s backup remains to be seen, but performances like the one at Bramall Lane will do his reputation plenty of good in the wider context of his club and international career.