Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher says he is trying to learn as much as he can from team-mate Alisson Becker and thinks he has improved as a player during his time working alongside the Brazilian.
Kelleher joined Liverpool as a 15-year-old in 2015 and has been in and around the first-team squad since last summer.
That has given him the chance to train closely with Alisson, who moved to Liverpool from Roma in July 2018.
Speaking on international duty with Republic of Ireland U21s, the 20-year-old admits he has benefitted from working alongside the Brazil international over the past 12 months.
“It’s been very good for me,” he said.
“To be honest in the last year, I think I’ve improved quite a good bit in that part of the game and a lot has been down to him, just watching him and seeing what he does in certain situations in games.
“Speaking to him as well, he’ll speak to me on what stuff I can improve on, so it’s been a huge help.”
Kelleher, who was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 Champions League final win over Tottenham in Madrid in June, has seen his progress this campaign stymied by a wrist injury.
That means he has been unable to stand in for Alisson, who suffered a calf injury in Liverpool’s season-opening win over Norwich last month.
Summer signing Adrian has filled in instead and went on to play a key role in the Reds’ penalty shootout victory over Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup.
Kelleher, though, is not bitter about missing out on a chance, adding: “I don’t think you can look at it like that. Maybe if I hadn’t got injured, Alisson might not have got injured.
"I don’t really think about that, to be honest, there’s no point dwelling on stuff like that.”
Despite that disappointment, Kelleher says he is enjoying life at Anfield and is full of praise for manager Jurgen Klopp.
“He’s probably one of the best managers in the world, so it can only be a good thing being with him every day,” he said.
“He’s very good at man-management – you can see that in the way that all the players get along with him and even the players who aren’t playing or not in squads.
“He makes everyone feel a part of it, makes everyone feel like they’re making a difference to the team. He’s very good.”