Harry Redknapp has picked two Liverpool players to his Premier League Team of the Week, but he does not believe one will remain at the club next season.
The Reds maintained their lead at the top of the table with a last-gasp 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Darwin Nunez was the hero, coming off the bench to score a stunning 99th-minute goal.
Unsurprisingly, Redknapp, a former Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur manager, included the Liverpool icon in his weekly BetVictor XI. He believes Nunez’s goal might have a significant impact on the three-way title fight between the Reds, defending champions Manchester City, and Arsenal.
Redknapp stated: “I know he didn’t start, but I can’t leave Darwin Nunez out of the team; what a moment for Liverpool. That’s what great teams do: they find a way to win.
“I’m not shocked it was Nunez, either; he is a guy who never stops trying to make things happen, and his mentality is really brilliant. Who knows, those extra two points could mean the difference between winning and losing the crown.
The second Liverpool player selected by Redknapp came from the opposite end of the field. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher kept his third clean sheet in a row as he continues to fill in for the club’s first-choice shot-stopper Alisson Becker.
The Republic of Ireland star is clearly making the most of his opportunity, guiding the Reds to Carabao Cup victory at Wembley, promotion to the FA Cup fifth round, and a win over Forest that keeps them in first place in the Premier League.
But Redknapp believes Kelleher will leave Anfield in the summer to play regular first-team football. He remarked, “He was in my side last week, and he’s back it up again, Caoimhin Kelleher. The nicest compliment I can give this guy is that Liverpool hasn’t missed him since he was out, and he’s possibly the finest goalkeeper in the world!
“I’d be surprised if he’s still at the club next season, he needs to be starting every week.”
Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool); Fabian Schar (Newcastle United); Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur); Calvin Bassey (Fulham); Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United); Lewis Cook (Bournemouth); Martin Odegaard (Arsenal); Phil Foden (Manchester City); Harry Wilson (Fulham); Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa); Darwin Nunez (Liverpool).
