Liverpool goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga admits there is an “opportunity” for another move this summer, saying he is “more than ready” to take it one step further.
Pitaluga is approaching the third anniversary of his move from Fluminense to Liverpool and is part of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Although he also plays with the Under 21s, the Brazilian trains day after day with the seniors, working closely with John Achterberg’s coaching staff.
But while Caoimhin Kelleher’s progress shows that a loan move isn’t essential for a young goalkeeper to establish himself at a club like Liverpool, it is certainly a productive route.
After spending last season with non-league Macclesfield and helping them win the North West Counties Premier Division, Pitaluga believes the Football League is the next step. “Being loaned out to a Football League side is a possibility,” he told the club’s official website.
“We’ll see how it goes, but at my age playing is a huge thing. It would be a step up from last season, but I’m more than ready for it.”Of his time at Macclesfield, Pitaluga said: ‘It was definitely more physical and I would say that was one of the main points of going there.”You don’t get this level of physicality in the Under 21s so for me it was a bit more of a challenge.“
There is certainly a risk in loaning a young goalkeeper to a team in the Championship, League One or League Two, as Liverpool have discovered in recent years.
For example, last time out Vitezslav Jaros struggled for a few minutes with Stockport County, losing his place to injury in October and failing to make another League Two appearance. Elsewhere, Jakub Ojrzynski was never able to reclaim the number 1 spot with Radomiak Radom in his native Poland as his contract was terminated in January.
But there are instances where it works, with Harvey Davies poised to make real progress as starting goalkeeper at Crewe in League Two this season. If Pitaluga were to return to the air it would be up to the club to find the right destination, which is certainly more difficult now that the season has already begun.
However, there are arguments to believe he should stay and gain experience at Liverpool, especially as he now qualifies for an Under-21 place in the Europa League squad.
