Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger will retire at the end of the season – and fans on Twitter have joked he’ll be missed.
The Premier League giants confirmed on their official club website on Thursday that the 39-year-old veteran will call time on his professional career this summer.
His contract at Anfield is up for expiry in only a matter of weeks, but Manninger has ruled out the possibility of earning one final fling by quitting the game for good.
However, following his arrival at the club from FC Augsburg last summer, he failed to make a single appearance during his one-year spell, and Liverpool fans on Twitter have joked that he deserves club legend status.
Here is a selection of their messages on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ffsStudge/status/867689126937718785
https://twitter.com/Meadows14/status/867689451333595138
Get the statue ready
— Kai (@kaitap92) May 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/JoshFuller999/status/867689207271227393
Cannot imagine lfc without him?
— Hussain Malek (@7sainmalek) May 25, 2017
Retire his number!
— Keegan (@Keegan_GP) May 25, 2017
Announce Casillas
— James (@JM94__) May 25, 2017
How can we go on without him?
— Carlton Evans (@Carlton_LFC) May 25, 2017
Manninger’s playing career spanned across 22 years, during which time he represented 14 different European clubs, including Juventus and Arsenal.
He also earned 34 caps for the Austria national team, whom he represented for the final time in 2009.
However, his lack of appearances for Liverpool comes as little surprise, given he was signed as a third-choice goalkeeper behind Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius.
Even despite the criticism of Liverpool’s two senior stoppers, Manninger’s influence was limited to his off-field duties, where the club have insisted he offered ‘unwavering’ support.
Mignolet and Karius are expected to compete for the No.1 jersey once again next season, but it remains to be seen if Jurgen Klopp will consider adding another goalkeeper to his ranks to fill the void left by Manninger.