Roy Keane heaped praise on Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher but couldn’t help but joke about the goalkeeper’s early days as an outfield player.
Kellleher got the nod to start ahead of first choice Alisson against Cardiff as the Reds set their sights on another cup run .
Keane praised the 23-year-old’s temperament and jokingly aimed a dig at him, having only become a goalkeeper at the age of 14.
Caoimhin Kelleher was given the nod to start against Cardiff in the fourth round of the FA Cup
‘Apparently when he was younger he started off as an outfield player, possibly a striker,’ he said on ITV.
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‘He obviously wasn’t very good because they pushed him back.
‘He’s obviously done very well for himself. Martin (O’Neil) brought him into the senior squad when we were with Ireland and what you’d say about him is he has a fantastic temperament and that’s what you need to be a good goalkeeper particularly at the big clubs.
‘He’s done very well, great with his feet, a real maturity about him when he came into the Irish squad when I was there with Martin – a real nice presence about him.
‘He wasn’t giddy around the place, his training, his attitude was spot on and it’s good to see him get some minutes for Liverpool.’
Roy Keane heaped praise at Kelleher but couldn’t help but have a dig at the goalkeeper
Kelleher has impressed when called upon this season. He played a crucial role in Liverpool’s route to the Carabao Cup final and Jurgen Klopp confirmed the Irish keepr will start between the sticks in the final against Chelsea.
Speaking after the win against Arsenal in the semi-final, the Liverpool boss said: ‘Caoimhin will play, if he is fit.
‘As a football manager you have to consider a lot of things and one of the things is we consider Caoimhin an outstanding goalie. Not a good goalie, an outstanding goalie, and we want to keep him here.’