Pre-season can result in loopy and weird conditions, and that was the case in 2016 when Jurgen Klopp turned to his academy goalkeeper to play up entrance!
The summer time of 2016 was the primary pre-season underneath the tutelage of Klopp, and it was a busy one for the squad as they performed 9 friendlies to arrange for the 2016/17 marketing campaign.
It was the fourth conflict, a visit to Huddersfield City, that proved filled with surprises because the German took his love for a participant’s ‘versatility’ to a very new degree.
Then 18-year-old goalkeeper Shamal George had watched nearly all of summer time’s video games from the bench, and he might by no means have foreseen that his first look wouldn’t contain his gloves!
With Lucas Leiva choosing up a hamstring harm on the hour mark, Klopp opted for a little bit of chaos together with his remaining substitute as he launched George as an outfield participant, opting to push him up entrance.
George virtually had the dream begin, he was extremely near releasing Lazar Markovic on objective, after which he had a merciless offside flag deny him a fairytale place on the scoresheet.
Liverpool followers on the John Smith’s Stadium had been invested within the goalkeeper’s unlikeliest of ‘debuts’, a lot in order that when the Reds had been handed a Ninetieth-minute penalty there have been requires him to take it.
Alberto Moreno stepped as much as some boos from the travelling Kop and transformed to seal a 2-0 win, Klopp later defined the choice to not succumb to fan stress.
“Though it doesn’t appear to be it on a regular basis these video games are fairly severe – we don’t need to make joke video games,” he mentioned.
“It’s good when the group calls it in however at 1-0 in no sport on this planet do you have to make a ‘humorous’ choice.
“Whether it is 4-0 or 5-0 you’ll be able to give it some thought however even then it’s a lack of respect for the opponent.”
It will have been the icing on the cake, however George’s 25 minutes as a ahead was at all times to be what we outlined this pleasant outing – pre-season was made for moments like this!
After his unlikeliest of appearances, the Liverpool academy product shared a photograph on his Instagram of him on the receiving finish of a Klopp hug, with the caption: “Tonight was mad.”
Mad, certainly. It’s a story you inform your future grandchildren.
That summer time, he joined the workforce for the US tour because the third-choice stopper, however he by no means did function for the primary workforce together with his gloves on.
What occurred subsequent?
George would signal for Carlisle United on mortgage in the summertime of 2017, it was there he made his skilled debut, although he performed simply seven matches earlier than returning to Liverpool.
The next yr, he signed a contract extension and joined Tranmere Rovers for one more non permanent transfer away, and the yr after he did the identical when signing for Marine.
On the finish of the 2019/20 season, although, he was launched by Liverpool and signed for League Two membership Colchester United on a two-year deal – he made 50 appearances and was named their participant of the yr for 2021/22.
George was on the transfer once more in 2022, becoming a member of Scottish Premiership facet Livingston – who he nonetheless represents to at the present time.
Now 26, the goalkeeper is the No. 1 for the Scottish facet and has performed 75 video games thus far – he missed simply 9 of their 47 video games final season and has solely been tasked with retaining objectives out, not scoring them!
