Liverpool icon was asked by club to stop criticizing player - 'I got pulled in'

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was asked by the club's hierarchy not to criticize Simon Mignolet so openly during the Belgian stopper's time at Anfield

Simon Mignolet faced criticism during his time at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Bruce Grobbelaar has revealed that he was instructed to refrain from publicly criticizing Simon Mignolet during the Belgian's tenure at Liverpool.

The Reds are set to face one of Mignolet's former clubs, Sunderland - the team he departed in 2013 to join the Anfield side. Mignolet clocked up six years at Liverpool, making 204 appearances and securing 66 clean sheets. The Belgian international had some successful spells at Anfield, notably tying for the most clean sheets in the 2013-14 season alongside Manchester City's Joe Hart and Southampton's Fraser Forster.

However, one former Red wasn't entirely sold on Mignolet. Ex-goalkeeper Grobbelaar claimed he was once advised by the club's management to cease his public criticism of the stopper.

The Zimbabwean, who spent 13 years with the Reds, stated in 2015 that Mignolet was ripe for replacement. Grobbelaar commented: "I've had my criticism of Mignolet for two or three years, I even got pulled in and asked not to criticize him so openly.

"But I think he (Jurgen Klopp) is looking at it (buying a replacement for Mignolet).

"There are a couple of goalkeepers in the German league that he is looking at, so I can see that might be one of his first signings."

Bruce Grobbelaar is one of Liverpool's greatest ever goalkeepers(Image: Getty Images)

At the time, it was rumored that then-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had his eye on Bernd Leno and Loris Karius.

Both keepers eventually made their way to the Premier League, with Leno turning out for Arsenal and Fulham, while Karius signed for the Reds in 2016.

Karius attempted to take over from Mignolet that season, but the two ended up sharing duties until Alisson's arrival in 2018.

Alisson took the reins as the first-choice goalkeeper, and Mignolet moved to Club Brugge, where he continues to shine today.

Grobbelaar was evidently not a fan of the goalkeeper during his stint with the Reds, even going so far as to claim that he'd seen better keepers at Ottawa Fury, where he was coaching at the time.

In a chat with talkSPORT, he added: "I've said that he is a goalkeeper who is a great shot stopper, but he is not the overall package. The overall package is good with your feet and coming out and commanding your area.

"I've got a goalkeeper in Canada, a 24-year-old, who does this better than Mignolet does and is just as good of a shot stopper.

"He is more of a package than Mignolet is."