Mignolet: I’ll be there for Karius

LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has backed Loris Karius to bounce back from his Champions League nightmare and will offer the young German all the support he needs.

The pair are rivals for the No 1 spot and, even though Mignolet was deposed in January, he can empathise with what the man who took his place is going through after Karius made two key mistakes against Real Madrid in the final.

“I know how it is. You need a bit of time. The good thing about this final is that he will have the summer to take it and go forward,” said Mignolet, who has had to deal with his fair share of criticism during his time at Anfield.

“If he wants to talk then of course I will be there. Every goalkeeper can relate to him.

“I’ve been in this situation before myself and those kind of things you deal with yourself.

“The only thing I told him is that there is a reason we got to this final, and why we played in this final, so think about that.

“But of course it is very difficult to say anything to him and to let him grasp it.

“He’s only young. I’m sure he will bounce back. I think we have all the tools at Liverpool as well to help him with that.”

In the aftermath of defeat, Mignolet felt sorry for the thousands of fans who had made the arduous and expensive trip to Kiev, having followed them around Europe all season.

“It’s very bitter that we can’t give them something back and not to give them the trophy they wanted.

“Together with the fans, together with the rest of the club. I think we play, not as individuals, but as a team. We play as 11 together, we play as a whole squad.

“Liverpool stands for unity.”

Loris Karius had a Champions League Final to forget.