The 22-year-old was given the nod to start between the sticks at the weekend for the Reds against Watford in the Premier League as first choice Alisson played for Brazil in the early hours of Friday morning.
Kelleher produced a superb save during the closing stages against the Hornets, preserving his team’s clean sheet as they bulldozed their way to a 5-0 win at Vicarage Road.
Liverpool legend Aldridge is impressed with the young shot-stopper’s displays so far in his Reds stint, and lauded him for always making the best of his opportunities under Jurgen Klopp.
Aldridge backed Kelleher to carve out a great future as a footballer and believes he can be Ireland’s number one for years to come.
“Despite having very little to do for pretty much the whole game against Watford, I was really impressed by Kelleher again”, Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.
“Each time he has played for Liverpool, he has done what’s required from him and Saturday was no different.
“Watford struggled to truly test him throughout the match, but he made that save late on to make sure of the clean sheet.
“Now that the international break is over, Alisson is likely to come back into the team and regain his place in the side.
“It’s a little bit of a shame for Kelleher, but it looks as though Alisson should be available to play against Atletico [Madrid in the Champions League].
“I believe Kelleher has a great future ahead of him and I really think he can be Ireland’s goalkeeper for the next ten years based on what I’ve seen from him so far.”
Kelleher will be determined to keep repaying Klopp’s trust as the season progresses and possibly provide better competition for Alisson.
