A number of Liverpool players have found game time hard to come by so far this season and one star in particular has been urged to seek pastures new.
In Liverpool's seven Premier League fixtures in this early stage of the campaign, Arne Slot has named the same starting lineup on four occasions. In the other three games, a combined total of six changes have been made, with the Dutchman very carefully just tweaking just or two positions each time.
One of those was second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher , who came in for the injured Alisson for Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on September 21. The Irish goalkeeper also started the following game against West Ham in the Carabao Cup , before Alisson took over on his immediate return from injury against Wolves three days later.
It means Kelleher has featured in just two of Liverpool's 10 games so far this season, and even that is one more than expected due to Alisson's minor injury last month. Nonetheless, the highly-rated shot-stopper is once again being limited to insufficient game time.
That led former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given to urge his countryman to move on as quickly as possible in order to save his career. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club , he said: "The summer was the best time for Caoimhin to move on and show everyone he is good enough.
"He is number one for Ireland at the minute and we need him to be playing regularly in the Premier League, because I think that is the level he is at. He is going to be back in the team now for sure – I think Alisson will be out for a few weeks – so he has got an opportunity again.
"But, at the same time, Caoimhin is 26 years old in November. He isn’t getting any younger. Each game that goes by where he doesn’t play, he will never get back. He has only got one career, one life and one opportunity at being a top goalkeeper.”
Kelleher hadn't been expected to feature again for Liverpool until the next round of the Carabao Cup on October 30, when the Reds travel to face Brighton, yet fresh news that Alisson has been ruled out until after the November international break has changed his fortunes once more.
It means the 25-year-old has been afforded an extended run in the team for the next seven fixtures, including Premier League ties against Chelsea , Arsenal , Brighton and Aston Villa , along with Champions League clashes against RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.
Ironically, it now means Kelleher might not play in that Carabao Cup tie away to Brighton in three weeks' time, with third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros potentially being given the opportunity to feature following his brief cameo against Crystal Palace on Saturday, having come on for his debut in place of the injured Alisson .
Nonetheless, Kelleher will become Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper for the next block of fixtures, with Alisson expected to return for the first game back after the November international break against Southampton on November 24.
Once he does, it would be no surprise to see Kelleher benched all the way through to the New Year when Liverpool competes in the third round of the FA Cup in January, especially if it doesn't overcome Brighton in the next round of the Carabao Cup.
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