Loris Karius’ girlfriend Diletta Leotta sends three-word message to him after Carabao Cup final loss against Manchester United
Diletta Leotta sent a three-word message to her boyfriend Loris Karius after Newcastle United's Carabao Cup final loss against Manchester United on Sunday (February 26).
She posted a photo on her Instagram story (h/t Daily Star) of kissing Karius on the cheek and wrote 'Proud of you'. The pair have been dating since last year and are currently in a long-distance relationship.
Leotta, who presents Serie A on DAZN, flew in from Italy to watch her boyfriend play in the Carabao Cup final. The former Liverpool goalkeeper started in goal for manager Eddie Howe's side at Wembley and put in a respectable display against the Red Devils.
Karius made 11 recoveries and eight saves (h/t FotMob) but could do nothing about Manchester United's two goals on the day. A Luke Shaw free-kick was headed in by Casemiro beyond the goalkeeper's reach in the 33rd minute to open the scoring.
A huge deflection from Sven Botman six minutes later doubled Manchester United's lead as Marcus Rashford wheeled away to celebrate with his teammates. This was Loris Karius' first appearance for Newcastle since he joined them as a free agent from Liverpool last summer.
He seemed destined for success with the Reds before a catastrophic performance in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid halted his progress. The German shot-stopper never played for Liverpool again despite being on their books for the next four years.
He was loaned to Besiktas and Union Berlin during that time but failed to find success there. Karius is under contract at St. James' Park until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old started in the EFL Cup final due to Nick Pope being suspended and Martin Dubravka being cup-tied with Manchester United.
Loris Karius' happy with his display against Manchester United in Carabao Cup final
Loris Karius' confidence took a big hit following Liverpool's 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.
He was evidently out of form in the following pre-season, and manager Jurgen Klopp splashed £66.8 million to sign Alisson Becker from AS Roma that summer. After failed spells in Turkey and Germany, many believed Loris Karius' career was over.
However, he believes that he still has what it takes to play at the top level. He said after the defeat against Manchester United, via the aforementioned source:
"I showed I don’t need to hide or anything, that I can still perform on this standard. “There’s always pressure to perform. I tried to enjoy it. It’s a cup final, it’s Wembley. It doesn’t really get better than this so you have to enjoy these moments and soak it all in and that’s what I tried to do."