Mignolet Frustrated With Liverpool Bench Duty

Mignolet Frustrated With Liverpool Bench Duty

By Max Wise

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has revealed how frustrating it is to be playing second fiddle to Alisson following the Brazilian’s move to Anfield from AS Roma last summer.

Mignolet,30, was already playing as a back-up to the error-prone Loris Karius last season, and the arrival of Alisson has made Mignolet’s chances of featuring in the first team look even bleaker.

Mignolet has yet to feature for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, with his solitary appearance for the Reds so far coming in September’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the League cup.

The Belgium international goalkeeper will get a rare chance to feature for Liverpool when they make the trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup on Monday, and ahead of the game, Mignolet, has acknowledged it is a daunting task sitting on the Liverpool bench.

"Of course it isn't easy," Mignolet told Liverpool's official website. "I've spoken about it before - it's not something that you want to be doing, but the team is doing so well and you just try to help the team as best as you can.”

"I'm behind Alisson who is a really good goalkeeper - probably within the best five goalkeepers in the world, if not the best - and you can accept and understand it.”

"We try to work hard and we get along really well as well, the both of us. I can learn from him, he can learn from me and we just try to work as hard as we can.”

"Not only between the goalkeepers, but I also know that I have to be ready for if anything happens or the team needs me, and therefore I have to be working hard on daily basis for when the chance comes along or I get called upon.

"It's not easy, mentally especially, but I try to keep the focus as best as I can. That's the only thing I can do really."

Mignolet joined Liverpool from Sunderland in the summer of 2013 for £9m and has gone on to make 155 Premier League appearances for the league leaders.