Liverpool: Klopp expecting Simon Mignolet to remain at Anfield
Simon Mignolet spent last season as second choice to Alisson Becker but manager Jürgen Klopp says that a club like Liverpool "needs two No.1s".
Simon Mignolet only featured twice for Liverpool last season – appearing in the EFL Carabao Cup and FA Cup meetings with Chelsea and Wolves respectively. He didn’t get to play again because the team's domestic cup campaigns were cut short and spent the rest of the season watching the team play from the bench. In spite of that, you never heard the Belgian goalkeeper complain about his lack of playing time. Mignolet has accepted that he must play second fiddle to Alisson Becker – Liverpool’s first choice who set a club record last season keeping 21 clean sheets in 38 appearances. Faced with such a situation, other players might revolt, moan to the media or just sulk but Mignolet hasn’t done any of that – he’s kept working quietly, training every day as he always has - and that has helped to maintain team spirit and provide stability within the Liverpool dressing room .
Klopp happy to have Alisson and Mignolet guarding the net
The 31-year-old, who joined Liverpool in 2013, is under contract until June 2023 and manager Jürgen Klopp expects him to still be available for when he is needed this season, when his team will be involved in six competitions. When asked about Mignolet’s situation at the weekend, Klopp said: “I’ve had a lot of conversations with him in the last couple of years and months. Before we left for the summer break we had a talk and I would say yes he will be staying with us. At a club like Liverpool you need two No.1s and at least and we have that with Ali and Simon. That’s a very good situation for the club and that’s why everything is fine from my point of view.” Mignolet and Dan Atherton have been sharing goalkeeping duties for the Reds at the start of the pre-season while Alisson is taking a well-earned break after winning the Copa América with Brazil.