Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has claimed that Simon Mignolet is one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League.
The Belgian shot-stopper has been criticised at times during his two years at Anfield and was left out by previous manager Brendan Rodgers last season following a series of inconsistent displays.
Mignolet has come under fire recently once more after a mistake against Bordeaux last week, but Hamann has insisted that the 27-year-old's future at Anfield should be safe.
"He's a very talented goalkeeper," he told talkSPORT. "The issue people always have with him is whether or not he's mentally strong enough, but for a goalkeeper to come back into the team [after being dropped like he was last season] and do well is not an easy thing to do.
"As an outfield player you've always got another chance. But if he'd come back and made one or two mistakes his Liverpool career would have been finished.
"The way he responded last year, and the way he's kept goal this year for large parts, has been exceptional."
Mignolet cost £9m when Liverpool signed him from Sunderland in 2013.
Steven Toplis
