Although Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has stressed that he’ll be naming a strong side when the Reds square off with Southampton in the League Cup quarter-final, it looks like the German manager will choose to give incumbent ‘keeper Simon Mignolet a break from the action and keep faith with second stringer Adam Bogdan who has thus far backstopped the Anfield outfit in this competition.
“It’s not easy dropping back to the bench after these games but at the same time, when the team is doing well and the other keeper is doing well, you have to accept it,” the former Bolton Wanderers ‘keeper told Sky Sports when asked about his playing time. “I just have to continue to play well, train well and see what happens. My aim is to play week in, week out, but I don’t see any other way,” he added. “I will do well in training and in games and other things you can’t really control.”
This isn’t the first occasion that the 28-year old has hinted that he’s looking to replace Mignolet as Liverpool’s first choice goaltender and it likely won’t be the last. While rumours continue to swirl about the Belgian’s future at Liverpool, Klopp has moved to calm any speculation about him bringing in a replacement for the ex-Sunderland man, instead insisting that he’s happy with the options that he has available to him and confirming in his pre-match press call that Bogdan could be called on to face the Saints on Wednesday.
“For me, these cup ties are really important. They always have been. I made my debut for Bolton against Southampton in this competition, and I made my Liverpool debut in it too. It’s important for me to keep on this run,” explained the Hungarian shot-stopper. “I respect Simon fully and I know how much he works and puts in every day,” he said of Liverpool’s number one ‘keeper. “He has my support as well, and his clean-sheet statistics show how good he is.”
