Liverpool have announced that Alisson Becker will wear the No. 13 shirt for their friendly with Napoli, but stressed the goalkeeper’s squad number is yet to be confirmed.
Alisson is in line to make his first appearance for Liverpool in Dublin on Saturday following his £65 million move from Roma.
The Brazil international will sport ‘A. Becker 13’ on the back of his goalkeeping jersey for Liverpool’s penultimate warmup game of the summer.
Loris Karius currently occupies the No. 1 squad number at Liverpool, while Simon Mignolet, who could leave Anfield this summer, wears No. 22.
Fellow summer signing and Brazilian Fabinho is also yet to be assigned a permanent number at Liverpool and has been wearing No. 3 in preseason.
The Reds revealed earlier in the summer that Sadio Mane has taken over the No. 10 shirt following Philippe Coutinho’s departure to Barcelona in January.
Meanwhile, Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock believes Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic will not be joining the newly-promoted Premier League side on loan.
Grujic spent the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff in the Championship and Warnock was confident about re-signing the 22-year-old again on a temporary deal.
“Grujic looks like he will stay put… I think he would be better off here but it is a contract issue, I understand his point of view,” Warnock said; “Liverpool have four competitions before Christmas and he can play in those without being named in the 25-man squad.
“I have missed out on a couple of targets waiting for him, it is disappointing as everything was agreed with Liverpool. But sometimes fate intervenes.”
Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Alisson Becker will be his first-choice goalkeeper for the 2018-19 season but says Loris Karius will have another opportunity to prove his worth at Anfield.
Alisson became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper upon confirmation of his six-year deal with the Anfield club, arriving in a move worth £65 million (€73m/$85m).
The Brazil international became the club’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window, joining Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri in moving to Merseyside.
The move marks the end of Karius’ short stint as the Reds’ first-choice goalkeeper following a nightmare performance during Liverpool’s 3-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in May.
Karius was at fault for Real’s opening strike, releasing the ball for Karim Benzema to intercept and score, before fumbling Gareth Bale’s long-range effort for Madrid’s third of the tie.
Tests carried out by the Massachusetts General Hospital following the game reported that Karius was suffering from a head injury at the time of the goals, said to be a result of a collision with Real defender Sergio Ramos.
Regardless, Karius has been the focus of widespread humiliation since the Kiev final and has lost his spot as Liverpool’s first-choice between the sticks as a result of Alisson’s arrival from Roma.
“We brought in Alisson and it is clear that he will be our number one,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “Otherwise, you don’t pay that kind of money.
It may have taken a world record £66.6million fee but Liverpool fans are more confident than ever that Alisson Becker will provide the answer to their goalkeeping travails after watching one of his first training sessions for his new club. Jurgen Klopp appears to be on the verge of dispensing with Loris Karius, whose two calamitous errors cost Liverpool dear during May’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, with Simon Mignolet likely to remain as the club’s No.2.
After helping Brazil reach the quarter finals of the World Cup, Alisson joined up with his new teammates at a training camp in Geneva ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Napoli and immediately showed what he is capable of with a stunning save from Marko Grujic. It was a save that showcased the 25-year-old’s bravery, athleticism and strength and Liverpool fans loved the reaction of Mohamed Salah, who played with Alisson at Roma, who couldn’t help but laugh, standing behind the goal…