Liverpool’s 18-year-old goalkeeper who played up front – and where he is now – Liverpool FC

Pre-season can bring some crazy and bizarre situations, and that was the case in 2016 when Jurgen Klopp turned to his academy goalkeeper to play up front!

The summer of 2016 was the first pre-season under Klopp’s tutelage, and it was a busy one for the team, who played nine friendlies in preparation for the 2016/17 season.

It was the fourth clash, a trip to Huddersfield Town, that proved full of surprises as the German took his love of players’ ‘versatility’ to a whole new level.

Then 18-year-old goalkeeper Shamal George watched most of the summer’s games from the bench and could never have predicted that his first appearance would not involve his gloves!

With Lucas Leiva suffering a hamstring injury on the hour mark, Klopp opted for a bit of chaos with his remaining replacement by introducing George as an outfield player, opting to play him up front.

George almost had the dream start, he came incredibly close to releasing Lazar Markovic in goal, and then had a cruel offside flag deny him a fairytale place on the scoresheet.

Liverpool fans at the John Smith’s Stadium were keen on the most unlikely of ‘debuts’ for the goalkeeper, so much so that when the Reds were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute there were calls for him to take it.

Alberto Moreno fought back against boos from the visiting Kop and converted to secure a 2-0 victory. Klopp later explained his decision not to succumb to pressure from the fans.

“Although it doesn’t always seem like it, these games are very serious – we don’t want to make joke games,” he said.

“It’s nice when the fans announce it, but at 1-0 in no game in the world should you make a ‘funny’ decision.

“If it’s 4-0 or 5-0, you can think about it, but it’s still a lack of respect for the opponent.”

It would have been the icing on the cake, but George’s 25 minutes as a striker were always going to be what defined this friendly match – pre-season was done for moments like this!

Following his most unlikely appearance, the Liverpool youth player shared a photo on his Instagram of him receiving a hug from Klopp, with the caption: “Tonight was crazy.”

Crazy, indeed. It’s a story you tell your future grandchildren.

That summer he joined the team for the US tour as the third centre-back, but never played for the first team with their gloves on.

What happened next?

George would sign for Carlisle United on loan in the summer of 2017, where he made his professional debut, although he only played seven games before returning to Liverpool.

The following year he signed a contract extension and joined Tranmere Rovers for another temporary move, and the year after that he did the same by signing for Marine.

At the end of the 2019/20 season, however, he was released by Liverpool and signed for League Two club Colchester United on a two-year deal – he went on to make 50 appearances and was named their player of the year for 2021/22.

George was on the move again in 2022, joining Scottish Premier League side Livingston – who he still represents today.

Now 26, the goalkeeper is the Scottish side’s No.1 and has made 75 appearances so far – he missed just nine of last season’s 47 games and is tasked with stopping goals, not scoring them!