Loris Karius believes his appearance in last month's Carabao Cup final helped to 'remind people' of the quality he has to offer.
The ex-Liverpool goalkeeper earned an unlikely start for Newcastle United at Wembley due to both Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka being unavailable for selection, in what was his first competitive match in two years. Manchester United managed to secure a 2-0 victory, though Karius was nonetheless praised for his individual performance after producing eight saves.
His previous appearance in a final of course came in Kyiv during the Reds' Champions League defeat at the hands of Real Madrid, a game which ultimately ended his career at the club after two high-profile errors paved the way for the signing of Alisson.
READ MORE: FSG handed surprising £60m transfer question that could change Liverpool plan
READ MORE: LeBron James may have played perfect assist for FSG to land Liverpool investment
Unsuccessful loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin would follow before Newcastle took a chance on the German, who was a free agent up until his arrival at St James' Park back in September. Reflecting on how he fared in his first contest back in the spotlight and what he was hoping to prove, Karius told Newcastle's matchday programme: "I didn't really have any shaky moments or anything. I felt solid. It's good to remind people I'm here, and I've still got a lot to offer. I'm not surprised I know that about myself, but people sometimes forget or have a wrong picture of you. For that reason, I think it was good.
"I'm not surprised because I'm working every day, hard, which people don't see. It pays off eventually because football gives you a chance, an opportunity. Sometimes it takes a bit longer, sometimes it's always up and down. I was sure eventually I would get my chance.
"And of course if you don't play, it's never a nice situation for me. You train every day to play and then if you don't play on the weekend, you miss that feeling a little bit. I'm just enjoying my time here really. Whatever role I have to play until the end of the season, I'm doing it for the team to be successful, and then we will see. Everything is possible. But for sure, my aim for me personally is to get more game time again in the future because I know I can perform and play on this level."
On how he handled his lack of minutes following the 2018 Champions League final and the activities he put in place as a result, the 29-year-old added: "I did some yoga, meditating, all these kinds of stuff. I just tried to experience some new things that I didn't have time for before. It was obviously a shame not to be with a team straight away and be in that competitive flow every day and play pre-season games, but I made the best of it really and stayed calm.
"It's good, because yoga helps you be really flexible, and is a good balance for if you do power or weight sessions. And also meditating is good because it helps you to stay calm and focus at the same time. It's interesting to work with coaches from different areas and their approaches. It's not bad, you know? I wouldn’t say I'm completely crazy on both but I'm definitely open to exploring things like this and trying myself out."
READ NEXT:
- Liverpool final position predicted by supercomputer as Premier League shock awaits
- 'He knocked confidence out of me' - Liverpool man blasted boss who plucked him from obscurity before becoming Champions League hero
- Every word of Gary Lineker's emotional 140-word statement after BBC decision
- Marcel Brands reveals two reasons why PSV couldn't 'stop' Cody Gakpo transfer to Liverpool
- Jurgen Klopp has already told Liverpool fans what to expect from Luis Diaz ahead of injury return
