Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn fears for Loris Karius

Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn has admitted that Loris Karius may find it hard to reclaim his Liverpool place following a poor performance in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid. The German was at fault for two of Real Madrid’s three goals on the night and this eventually witnessed Los Blancos secure a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Speaking after the game, Kahn was astonished with the performance of his compatriot and admits that he fears for the future of Karius, he told FourFourTwo: “Words fail, I cannot remember ever having seen anything so cruel in a final, from a goalkeeper’s point of view. An evening like it can destroy a career, you need time to process it, as a keeper it was cruel to look at. From now on it does not matter anymore if he plays well, and he gets to hear: ‘Yes, today you were good, but do you remember what happened in the final?’”
Liverpool have been touted to pursue a new shot-stopper over the past couple of months and Karius’ blunder is likely to intensify their pursuit further during the summer transfer window. According to recent reports, Stoke City’s Jack Butland has been identified as a viable target for the Reds following the Potters’ relegation from the top-flight but any discussions are likely to be put on hold until the summer World Cup in England.
Despite Stoke experiencing a new low, Butland’s performances over the season were impressive nonetheless and the Englishman is now expected to handle the gloves for Gareth Southgate’s squad during the World Cup in Russia. Goalkeeping blunders have cost the Three Lions dearly in major tournaments in the past but Butland will be hoping that he can maintain a consistency albeit pressure from the likes of Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope.