PLUCK OF THE IRISH
Kelleher relishing Old Trafford crunch – despite shipping four on last visit
MAN UNITED v LIVERPOOL
TODAY, 3.30, SKY SPORTS
LIVERPOOL keeper Caoimhin Kelleher insists he has no fears about going back into the Old Trafford madhouse.
Kelleher, 25, has been outstanding for the Reds in the absence of injured No.1 Alisson Becker this season and will once again be Jurgen Klopp’s last line of defence.
His first appearance at Old Trafford saw him concede four times as United knocked their biggest rivals out of the FA Cup last month.
But the Irish goalie’s cool temperament was a big factor in why Klopp refused to sanction his departure from the club last summer to secure more game-time.
And Kelleher said: “It was a good lesson. It was my first time playing at Old Trafford and you could feel the crowd.
“It’s similar to Anfield in that respect. But we have to manage that better. We will go there and try to control the crowd as much as we can.
“I don’t get overly nervous for games. That’s just my personality. I’ve always been quite calm and it has worked out well so far.
“It’s important that you have the ability to stay levelheaded as a keeper because you need to make good decisions in a split second.”
Kelleher’s hometown of Cork is split between Liverpool and United – and he refused to reveal which shade of red he preferred as a youngster.
But he is keen to leave Old Trafford as winner this time after admitting there were some regrets about how Liverpool failed to make their dominance pay before having their Quadruple dream wrecked by that dramatic 4-3 defeat last time.
He said: “It’s nice for us to be going back so we can right the wrongs of that FA Cup defeat. The sooner the better.
“We made a lot of chances and should have put the game to bed – when you don’t anything can happen.”
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag has been urging Manchester United’s beleaguered players not to listen to the critics who have written them off as no-hopers.
Old Trafford insiders believe the Dutchman is trying to build a siege mentality in the aftermath of United’s dramatic injurytime surrender at Chelsea on Thursday night.
But his defiant messages have raised some eyebrows in the dressing room, with ten Hag continuing to complain that there is nothing wrong with his methods and that he has been given no support from the new regime being put into place by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The United boss feels there has also been no understanding of the injury crisis which has now seen him stripped of defensive trio Rafael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Jonny Evans ahead of the Liverpool clash.
Former Reds defender Gary Neville said he was stunned to see a top-flight team play so badly for 90 minutes when United threw away victory at Brentford last weekend after conceding another injurytime goal.
Rio Ferdinand and Roy Keane have also been scathing of their old club this season. Ten Hag has been telling his players that the only way to shut them up is to stick together – and that they can still rescue this campaign.
But the gaffer is fighting for his future with eight games of the season left after a club record-equalling 12 Premier League defeats.