Chris Kirkland has said that he “would be surprised” if Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet did not look for a move away from the club this summer.
The Belgian international played second fiddle to Alisson last season after the Brazilian’s arrival from Roma saw him nail down the first-choice spot between the sticks.
Mignolet only made two appearances – one in each of the FA Cup and EFL Cup – last season and, speaking on talkSPORT‘s Jim White show [Tuesday, 10:40am], Kirkland said that the goalkeeper needs to think carefully about his future.
“Simon’s just got to sit down, I’m sure he is doing, and decide what he really wants to do,” the 38-year-old said.
“If it was me, because he’s still at a young age, he’s got many, many years to go, I would be surprised if he didn’t want to go and play somewhere else.
“Only Simon will know what he wants to do, but I’d be surprised after playing for so many years and still being relatively young for a goalkeeper that he didn’t want more game time.”
OPINION
Kirkland is exactly right with these comments, Mignolet should definitely seek a move away from Liverpool this summer. There is simply no way he is ever going to get back into the Reds team properly, not after Alisson’s debut season. The Brazilian kept 21 clean sheets in his first full term and that is a brilliant record. Even if Mignolet tries his hardest, the only way he will ever get a chance is if Alisson suffers a serious injury, but what is the likelihood of that? The first-choice keeper is a magnificent professional who – like everyone – strives to keep himself in top condition, meaning there is very little chance of him being pushed out of the way. Having said that, if Mignolet does leave, the Reds – although Loris Karius is coming back from his loan at Besiktas – would need to recruit someone new in that position. But Mignolet should not think about having to stay around just in case he is needed. He needs to take his career into his own hands and seek a move away to get regular game time. He’s better than being a back-up, even at a brilliant club like Liverpool.
