Loris Karius reflects on the 'ups & downs' of his Liverpool career

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Loris Karius reflects on the 'ups & downs' of his Liverpool career

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has admitted he is looking forward to a fresh start after leaving Anfield this summer.

The German joined Liverpool in 2016 and made 49 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, although one of those outings stands out more than most - the 2017/18 Champions League final, in which he made a handful of crucial mistakes to hand Real Madrid the trophy.

He never played for the Reds again, instead spending time on loan with Besiktas and Union Berlin before walking away from Liverpool when his contract expired this summer.

"There were ups and downs," he told Sky Sport Deutschland of his time with Liverpool. "It's part of the game, that's football, but I've developed as a person.

"The level at which we worked every day and the professionalism that everyone exemplifies was unique. I have never experienced it before and that's why we experienced a lot of successes there. I'll take that determination with me to my next job."

He added: "I'm in top shape. I've been training at the highest level all year, with one of the best teams in the world. I've done a lot for myself physically. I've worked a lot on my personality and strengthened myself mentally, that's why I'm excited about what's to come. I'm free and can make my own decisions.

"This is a new situation that I'm looking forward to. A new challenge is coming, but that's always a good thing. I'm ready, mentally and physically."

Karius spent the entirety of last season as a reserve at Liverpool after failing to attract any offers last summer, but he is now looking forward to getting back on the pitch.

"When you're in goal and catching balls that help the team and you're an important part, I've missed that a bit," he said.

"I'm very hungry to relive those highlights, to help a team and get games again. That's my job, which I've been doing for many years but I was only able to do in training last year. You can't compare that with match practice, so I'm very hungry and ready to get back in goal and help the team."

On his next move, Karius revealed: "It's all about having a good feeling. The club could be in Germany or abroad. I just have to feel that the chemistry with those responsible is right, that they have a good feeling about me and I have a good feeling with them. I've learned from the past to pay even more attention to that.

"That's very important to me, so it doesn't have to be a specific country or a specific league for me. I just want to feel really good about my club and the people around me."