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It was in the wake of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Sevilla back in September that Jurgen Klopp reaffirmed his faith in Simon Mignolet.

The Reds boss insisted that despite giving Loris Karius the honour of playing in Europe’s elite competition, Mignolet’s status as the club’s first-choice keeper remained intact.

“Simon Mignolet is No 1,” Klopp declared.

“At the end of the season he will have 85% or 87% of all games I think. For me, that is the No 1.”

Four months on the outlook for the Belgium international is decidedly less rosy. He has played in 21 of Liverpool’s 33 matches this season - the equivalent of around 68% - but that figure is only likely to go in one direction.

Mignolet’s long-term future at Anfield has been thrown into doubt after he was axed for Sunday’s thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester City.

The 29-year-old shot-stopper, who is under contract until 2021, has been dropped before and on each occasion he has dug deep and fought his way back into the line-up. But this time around he has a mountain to climb after Klopp effectively declared that Karius will get an extended run in the side.

“Usually I could say it’s a decision for today but if Loris now is able to perform, he will stay in the goal,” Klopp told the TV cameras pre-match.

Karius hardly grasped his chance against City. He was beaten far too easily at his near post by Leroy Sane’s equaliser but after such a memorable triumph Klopp wasn’t in the mood for anyone to pick fault.

(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

“People always find the hair in the soup. Karius had a fantastic game,” Klopp said. “Yes the goal, he knows that, but it’s not about that.”

The message was clear - Karius will start away to Swansea City next Monday night.

This represents the 24-year-old German’s second real shot at proving he can be the long-term answer for Liverpool between the posts. His first during his debut season at Anfield proved to be a chastening experience as a crisis of confidence led to Mignolet being recalled.

With Klopp likely to buy a keeper this summer, this is crunch time for Karius.

It’s a big call by Klopp. Aside from his costly error at Arsenal last month, Mignolet’s form in general has been decent. When Karius has played, he has hardly performed at a level which demanded that he was made a permanent fixture in the side.

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But Karius is Klopp’s man. He bought him from Mainz 18 months ago and would have instantly made him the No 1 if he hadn’t broken his hand that summer. Now he believes the time is right to give him that coveted status.

The decision brings to an end half-a-season of chopping and changing between the posts when trust appears to have regularly swung between Mignolet and Karius.

It was back in July that Klopp declared it would be a three-way battle for the keeper’s jersey during pre-season following the return of Danny Ward from a successful loan spell at Huddersfield Town.

“Nothing is decided. They can all show how good they are,” he said.

On the eve of the Premier League opener at Watford, Klopp revealed his selection: “It is Simon. It was a battle at the highest level. He did not have one bad day which is cool and after the season he had last year, he is very confident. In this moment it is Simon one, Loris two and Wardy three.”

However, the alarm bells were ringing for Mignolet before the end of August when he was “rested” for the visit of Arsenal prior to the international break. Karius hadn’t played in the Premier League for eight months but Klopp clearly wanted him to get a game under his belt with a view to playing him in Europe.

Mignolet returned for the trip to Manchester City but confirmation that he would miss out on playing in the group stage of the Champions League was a bitter pill to swallow considering his contribution to Liverpool achieving a top-four finish. His form in the second half of last season shouldn’t be forgotten.

Explaining his decision about playing Karius in Europe, Klopp said: “If we don’t give them a game then every year we have to find a new No 2 who is 33, still able to catch a few balls and doesn’t want to play any more.

(Image: (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images))

“It’s not to keep them happy, it’s to use the quality of the goalkeepers. Why do we always think No 1, No 2, No 3 is fixed until the end of all days?”

From September through to mid-December, the policy remained unchanged. Ward had to settle for a solitary League Cup outing at Leicester, while Mignolet played in the Premier League and Karius in the Champions League.

Kop legend Ray Clemence wasn’t convinced. “I do find the goalkeeper situation strange,” he said. “I think you have to have a No 1 and you need a strong No 2 and you have to make that decision. As the two centre-backs, you want to know what the person behind you is capable of, what he wants from you, and what he can do for you.”

Mignolet came under fire after the heavy defeat to Tottenham at Wembley but responded positively and was handed the honour of captaining the Reds in the wins at West Ham and Stoke.

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Similarly, Karius, who was left red-faced away to Spartak Moscow, made a couple of crucial saves in the rollercoaster 3-3 draw in Seville.

Last month the landscape shifted once again. The warning signs were there for Mignolet. He insisted he was fit to play against West Brom despite taking a blow to the ankle in the derby against Everton three days earlier.

The manager felt differently. “Why should we take any risk? I thought it made no sense,” said Klopp, who handed the gloves to Karius for the goalless draw.

When Leicester came to Anfield at the end of December, the manager declared that Mignolet had been “rested” ahead of the New Year’s Day clash with Burnley.

The stand-in skipper enjoyed a relatively trouble free afternoon at Turf Moor and couldn’t be blamed for Johann Gudmundsson’s equaliser which was quickly followed by Ragnar Klavan’s late winner.

But in the space of a fortnight he’s gone from the high of captaining the Reds to that dramatic victory to the crushing low of being relegated to bench duty.

That No 1 tag has been wrestled from him. He will fight just like he did last season to get it back. He won’t throw in the towel.

After 13 months as the understudy, Karius is now the man in possession. There’s a changing of the guard. How long it lasts is down to Karius.