Former Manchester United forward Garth Crooks has urged Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher to seal an exit following his fine display in the 1-0 EFL Cup final win earlier this Sunday.The Reds, who are currently without Alisson Becker due to a hamstring issue, won their record-extending 10th EFL Cup trophy after defeating Chelsea. Virgil van Dijk bagged the winner in the 118th minute of the summit clash after Kelleher’s heroics at the other end.
In his recent Team of the Week column for the BBC, Crooks hailed the Irishman for his two crucial saves in Liverpool’s recent clash against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. He wrote:
“The point-blank save from Cole Palmer in the first half of [the] Carabao Cup win over Chelsea by Kelleher was not just world class, it was worthy of winning any cup final. So was his save from Conor Gallagher who was clean through the match.
Heaping further praise on the Reds youth product, Crooks continued:
“Liverpool’s number two goalkeeper doesn’t seem to care what the occasion is, it seems you can always depend on the Republic of Ireland international. Of all the injuries sustained, the team have missed Alisson the least. Kelleher’s performance have been nothing short of outstanding as was his form in the EFL Cup final.”
Backing Kelleher to play as a number one elsewhere, Crooks opined:
“This is a man who remains incredibly calm often in extraordinary circumstances and tends to do all his talking between the sticks. Winning trophies with Liverpool as their number two is all very well but I can’t help feeling there comes a time when your performances deserve top billing – even if it means leaving Anfield.”
Kelleher, whose deal is set to run out in June 2026, made his Reds debut in 2019. The 25-year-old has represented the Merseyside outfit 37 times so far, keeping 13 shutouts and shipping 45 goals along the way.
