“He’s proven to everybody what he’s capable of” – Alan Hutton feels 23-year-old will be ‘looking elsewhere’ due to lack of playing time at Liverpool
Former Tottenham Hotspur full-back Alan Hutton believes Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher could soon want regular first-team football. This comes after the 23-year-old Ireland international helped the Reds beat Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup final, where he converted his effort.
The Irishman has made the most of the relatively few chances he has had to play for the Reds, keeping four clean sheets in eight games this season. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has a contract at Anfield till the summer of 2026.
Hutton said that Kelleher might look to move away from Anfield to secure regular playing time, as it is almost impossible to dislodge Alisson Becker. Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Alan Hutton said in this regard:
“I think being first-choice will be in the back of his mind. Every footballer obviously wants to play football, and Kelleher will be no different. He’s proven to everybody what he’s capable of; he was brilliant during the final and showed real composure to take that penalty."
Hutton added:
“Jurgen Klopp trusts him, which shows how involved he is in that Liverpool team. But the bigger picture is that he will want to play week-in, week-out. Alisson is a brilliant goalkeeper, and he is deservedly number one, so it’s going to be difficult for him to do that at Liverpool. He could well be looking elsewhere, but it’s just down to him and where he sees his future.”
Kelleher received a lot of plaudits for his performance against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. The 23-year-old shot-stopper made key saves to deny Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku to take the game to penalties.
Kelleher also scored his penalty, which was the 21st successful spot-kick from either team in a titanic shootout. However, his opposite number Kepa Arrizabalaga missed his effort to hand Liverpool the title.
Man like Kelleher 👏 https://t.co/sxnr0mmJWi
Liverpool reach quarter-finals of FA Cup for first time under Klopp
Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp in 2015. The Reds secured a 2-1 home win over Norwich City on Wednesday. A brace from Japanese star Takumi Minamino was enough for Klopp's side to advance to the last eight.
It is worth mentioning that Klopp rested Kelleher for the game after his heroics against Chelsea on Sunday.
Liverpool reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time under Jurgen Klopp 😯 https://t.co/IrQ4Qm58Fg
The Reds will now shift their attention back to the Premier League, where they'll host West Ham United on Saturday. Klopp's men are currently second in the Premier League standings, six points behind league leaders Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand.