Mignolet “Working Hard” and Waiting for His Chance

When the summer ended with Simon Mignolet still at the club as backup to new signing Alisson Becker, the Belgian shot stopper wasn’t best pleased. To make matters worse, he had watched as Loris Karius departed as the window wound down.

To his credit, after sharing his understandable displeasure at being stuck as backup for the coming season, the 30-year-old has since kept his head down and worked hard in training. Now, he says, all he can do is keep doing that and hope for a chance.

“I will go back to Liverpool and work hard,” he told the press following a rare appearance for Belgium in their friendly against the Netherlands on Tuesday. “We have got the Huddersfield game to prepare for and I will always be there for the team.”

Mignolet’s best chance of the autumn would have been in the league cup, but with the Reds losing to Chelsea in that competition last month—though that exit could hardly be blamed on him—he may have to wait until the new year and the FA Cup.

“That’s the only thing I can do at this moment,” he added. “I’m not thinking about my future at this moment in time. The only thing I can do is wait for my chance and work hard in training. I always try and be ready if I am playing or not playing.

”I always prepare myself in the same manner and when the opportunity comes along you have to grasp it.”