Ward eyes Liverpool´s number one goalkeeper spot

Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward is eyeing a starting spot at the club when he returns to the Premier League.

Ward was sent out to Scottish outfit Aberdeen in June and has played every league game so far this season after displacing 30-year-old Scott Brown.

The 22-year-old has kept nine clean sheets in 20 league games, with the club just one point behind league leaders Celtic in the table.

While never making an international appearance for Wales, Ward has sat on the bench for numerous Euro 2016 qualifiers, and looks set to be part of the squad that travels to France.

Ward said the number one spot at Liverpool is his long-term goal, but with the club’s goalkeeping plight in recent times, he may get a chance even sooner if he continues to impress.

“It is definitely an ambition of mine to be Liverpool’s first-choice. I have a self-belief where I think I can play at the highest level. Ideally that’s at Liverpool, that would be fantastic,” he told the Daily Mail.

“They gave me a new long-term contract before I came up. I took it to mean they think I have got a chance. Long term, I would love to be their number one. 

“For now it’s about me taking the right steps and impressing for Aberdeen game by game.”

While Liverpool keep a close eye on their loanees, Ward said he went back to visit the club in the international break so that he would not be “left out of the picture”. 

“I am in regular contact with the Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, we will speak a couple of times a week,” he said. “The scouting department, who look after loan players at Liverpool, also have a good connection with the staff with Aberdeen.

“I met the new manager [Jurgen Klopp] after the last international break for an introduction and to see what he did in training, get a feeling for his way of working. It was brilliant to get my face in there. I was there for two days, two sessions, then back up at Aberdeen for that weekend.

“I don’t want to be left out of the picture at Liverpool. I don’t want to be out of sight, out of mind. So after the Holland friendly, I decided to call in.

“To be at Liverpool you have to be a good player. The manager seems to have been a breath of fresh air. When I went down, you sensed he had brought a new lease of life, you can also see that with how the lads have been playing.

“It is going to take time for his ideas to get across but I enjoyed the sessions I spent with him and the feeling I got is that the players are enjoying working with him.”