Jurgen Klopp has explained why Liverpool cannot afford to overlook Caoimhin Kelleher as goalkeeper for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
The Reds boss has already confirmed Kelleher will replace first-choice Alisson Becker between the sticks in Sunday’s Wembley showdown.
Almost half of the 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international’s 14 first-team appearances have come in the competition, with Kelleher having started the semi-final second leg win at Arsenal last month that booked Liverpool’s place in the showpiece.
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Kelleher has made two Premier League outings this season, one of which was in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Chelsea on January 2.
And the desire to keep the highly-rated youngster at the club is a prime factor behind him being set to become the fifth different goalkeeper to start a major final under Klopp at Liverpool.
“As always, if it works out, then it’s all about Caoimh,” said the Reds boss. “If it doesn’t work out, then it’s all about me. It’s as easy as that, and I take it.
“It’s just a thing we have to do because of the quality Caoimh has.
“We want to keep him as long as somehow possible, knowing that, from our point of view, the best goalkeeper in the world is our number one.
“Caoimh is an exceptional goalkeeper and we want to keep him here. And for that, he needs games. These games are his competition, and there’s no chance of him not playing.”
Kelleher has made seven appearances in total this season, having made his debut in the Premier League and Champions League last term.
Under Klopp, Simon Mignolet started the League Cup and Europa League finals in 2016, Loris Karius the Champions League final in 2018, Alisson the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup finals in 2019 and Adrian the UEFA Super Cup final the same year.
