Liverpool did well to land Karius when they did

Alex Manninger has jumped to the defence of Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Manninger, the Reds’ third-choice, thinks it is difficult to attract the best goalkeepers, as Manchester United and Chelsea already have them.

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“I have been here for five months and have found out that the goalie thing is a bit Liverpool-specific,” Manninger told The Times.

“I can say this because it is not going against people, but the unfortunate thing for Loris is that he didn’t have a pre-season [due to injury]. He didn’t train the way he wanted to do, to get a rhythm, a flow.

“He got thrown in by the coach, which is his decision, and unfortunately he couldn’t take his chance. But he is not a bad goalkeeper because of this.

“I knew him from Germany [Karius was signed from Mainz] and when Liverpool signed him I thought, ‘Well done.’ I know many other clubs wanted him. To get a young, complete goalkeeper is not easy.

“There are not many around and many are taken by clubs already — [Thibaut] Courtois [Chelsea], [David] De Gea [Manchester United], [Kasper] Schmeichel [Leicester City]. It is difficult to get them in their early 20s or you pay silly money.”

ARIS