Jurgen Klopp dropped a bombshell in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning when he revealed that back-up keeper Adrian had been injured in the aftermath of the club’s UEFA Super Cup win on Wednesday.
In the celebrations after Adrian saved a spot-kick that won Liverpool the cup, a pitch invader slipped and kicked the goalkeeper in the ankle.
The moment it happened was caught on a video that was tweeted by the Liverpool Echo.
? The moment Adrian picked up his ankle injury in the Super Cup celebrations… pic.twitter.com/EW0vdDplF4
— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) August 16, 2019
Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Adrian was now a doubt for Saturday’s game against Southampton with Alisson still out injured.
With Simon Mignolet having moved to Club Brugge in the summer, it means that Andy Lonergan, who signed on a free last week, could be set to make his Premier League debut after a career in the lower leagues that’s seen him make 405 appearances.
This is serious: Jurgen Klopp says Adrian a doubt for the game at Southampton. Injured his ankle when a fan ran on pitch and slid into the celebrating players. Klopp says Andy Lonergan will be “ready” if he has to play.
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) August 16, 2019
Liverpool fans are understandably worried but many of them have another solution, one that’s a bit more leftfield – James Milner.
This is what they’re saying on Twitter:
Think we need to accept the fact James Milner might just have to do a shift in goal at some point this season.
— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) August 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/liamk3235/status/1162305531509379073
We should play Milner in goal tomorrow. You know he’s better than Lonergan.
— FC Krooner (@Krooninho) August 16, 2019
This obviously won’t happen but Milner is such a versatile player he might well be the first outfield player Klopp turns to in an emergency.
And Milner has mentioned playing there before. Georginio Wijnaldum revealed that Milner joked about it last year saying “Against Bournemouth, he played as a right defender so I told him he’d played in every position and he said: ‘Except in goal, so if we’ve used three substitutes and the goalkeeper gets a red card, it’s me!’”
Joe Hart also revealed that Milner fancies himself as a goalkeeper. In an interview with 4-4-2 he said, “James Milner always wants to have a little go in goal, but he just wants to cover every position on the pitch. We joke about it; he does end up playing a lot of positions, and goalkeeper is the last one he needs to cover. He’s not bad at it – he’s as you’d expect James Milner to be.”
James Milner plays in goal now
— . (@parkthebus8989) August 16, 2019
Start Milner in goal
— HITMANHARJ ? (@hitmanharj) August 16, 2019
Some tackle all the same! Milner will have to play in goal tomorrow https://t.co/XwqXMvGkSH
— Gareth Malone (@garmalone7) August 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/keshbains/status/1162313054832549888
Finally we will be able to see Milner in goal
— AA (@Ariadhiguna) August 16, 2019
Absolute scenes when Milner starts in goal https://t.co/ot5DQzwpYJ
— Lee Day (@LDay) August 16, 2019
We will play saint's with milner in the goal maybe ?#LFC
— ?????? (@hiddenasperger) August 16, 2019
However, all jokes aside, this could represent a crisis for Liverpool. Klopp said that he still hoped Adrian would be available and Liverpool fans will be desperately sweating the team news now.