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blast from the past

14 years after leaving Arsenal, rosy-cheeked keeper Alex Manninger signs for Liverpool

The 39-year-old moves to Anfield on a one-year-deal.

LIVERPOOL HAVE SIGNED veteran goalkeeper Alex Manninger on a one-year deal.

The 39-year-old joins on a free transfer after spending the last four years with Augsburg in Germany.

After beginning his career in his homeland of Austria, Manninger signed for Arsenal in 1997 and served as understudy to David Seaman.

Once he left North London in 2002, he spent the next six years bouncing from country to country – Spain, Italy and Austria – before joining Juventus.

Though he spent the majority of his time on the bench, he did get a decent run of games when Gigi Buffon was out with long-term injury in late-2008.

With the Reds having allowed Adam Bogdan head to Wigan on a season-long loan, Jurgen Klopp felt it necessary to bring in an experienced keeper to have in reserve.

“They changed the rules so we cannot bring an U21 goalkeeper back from a team in England during the season if we have a problem, so we had to make a decision – keep somebody back to protect us or bring in someone else who can give us experience and I think this is the best solution to allow others to develop”, he said.

“Alex has played at a high level in his career in the top division in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and Austria for some very big teams – not many people can say that!”

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