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Loris Karius is determined to prove that Liverpool don’t need to buy a new No 1 this summer as he set his sights on Champions League glory.

The Reds keeper has shrugged off speculation linking the club with the likes of Roma’s Alisson and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak.

However, Karius knows the coming months represents a crucial period in his Anfield career.

Jurgen Klopp has given him the opportunity to shine after a difficult first 18 months with the club and he intends to grasp it.

“If you read the Press as a Liverpool player then every week we would have five new signings in every position,” Karius told the ECHO.

“You can’t go crazy about the speculation. When I look at the training, I think we do have good quality already with the keepers.

(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

“I think we’ve been a bit unlucky at times. Often you don’t have much to do. Then if you don’t do something 100% right it weighs a lot heavier than for other goalies at smaller clubs who have several more saves to make in a game. That’s life at a big club like Liverpool and you have to deal with it.

“I just want to present myself well and then I’ll have the chance to play at this club for the next season as well.

“That’s the challenge facing me personally. I also want to help this team achieve as much as we can.

“As well as the top four, we still have the Champions League. We want to go forward in that and why not win it? There are lots of big aims for the rest of the season.”

(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Karius had to settle for European duties in the first half of the season as Klopp opted to stick with Simon Mignolet for Premier League action.

But following the turn of the year the manager ditched his rotation policy and declared that Karius was the new No 1.

It was a major boost for the 24-year-old to be guaranteed an extended run in the side.

Karius said: “It was difficult in the first half of the season but I didn’t do too bad.

“I still had high quality games in the Champions League and I knew my chance would come in the Premier League. I went in and out of the team a bit but I showed the manager that when he needs me I’m there.

(Image: Jason Roberts)

“Of course I was happy with the decision (to make him No 1). You get more in a routine game by game but I know I need to keep performing.”

Karius’ first season at Liverpool proved underwhelming as a broken hand wrecked his progress initially and then a number of costly errors led to him being dropped. He spent the second half of last term warming the bench.

The £4.7million signing from Mainz knows the spotlight remains on him. He was heavily criticised after being beaten at his near post by Leroy Sane in the thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester City last month.

But he marked Sunday’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Tottenham by producing a much more composed and confident display.

As well as keeping out Harry Kane’s first penalty, he also made a big save from Heung-Min Son.

(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

“Maybe I could have done better against Man City. I didn’t see it as a massive mistake because he (Sane) hit it quite well,” he said.

“In other games I haven’t had too much to do. I’ve come for crosses and collected them. At Swansea he (Alfie Mawson) put it right in the corner and there wasn’t much I could do.

“You can’t get frustrated as you know there will be games when the team needs you more and you have to be there.

“I wasn’t begging in the other games: ‘Please, please, I need a save.’ I knew it would come. I had more to do against Tottenham and I tried to help the team.

“I’ve been working well on the training pitch. My head is right. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from last season and I feel good.”

(Image: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Karius was in the thick of the controversy as referee Jon Moss awarded Spurs two late penalties.

He was penalised for bringing down Kane, who was accused of diving by Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

Karius stood his ground and pushed the spot-kick away but he couldn’t stop Kane from making it 2-2 deep into stoppage time after Van Dijk had been adjudged to have fouled Erik Lamela.

“For the first one, it went off Dejan Lovren’s leg and I had to make the decision whether to come or not,” he said.

“If I hadn’t come out it would have been an easy tap-in for Kane. He obviously wanted the pen because the ball was going in no man’s land.

“I pulled my arms away and I felt that he touched me a little bit above my shoulder. It all happened so quick. In the dressing room everyone was sure that Kane was offside and if he’s offside then it shouldn’t have been a penalty.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“The second one was really harsh. The ref was really close and said no. He was three times as close as the assistant and waved it off. But the assistant flagged and he gave the penalty.

“Lamela turned his body in and wasn’t even looking at the ball. It was a harsh one, especially as the ref had clearly waved play on, but we can't change that now.”

Liverpool were denied a crucial win in the race for the top four but with Chelsea losing at Watford on Monday night, Klopp’s men remain third in the Premier League.

With two-goal Mohamed Salah taking his tally for the season to 28, Karius insists there were plenty of positives to take as the focus turns to Sunday’s trip to Southampton.

“When Mo has the ball you always know that something magical could happen,” he added.

“His second goal was unbelievable. He’s been fantastic for us all season. You need players like that in your team in order to achieve great things.

“We were very disappointed not to win the game. When you concede so late there’s a lot of frustration. Maybe before the game, if you had looked at it, you would have said that a draw would be better for us than them because we’re ahead of Tottenham. But after the game it felt like a point wasn’t enough for us, it should have been three.

“We had the lead for around 80 minutes. There were times when we needed to sit back, you can’t just go forward all game because Tottenham are a strong side. I thought we defended really well.”