Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger joins Liverpool on a free transfer

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Sam Long22 July 2016

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has joined Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at the ripe old age of 39.

The shot-stopper, who spent five years with the Gunners earlier in his career, has penned a short-term deal at Anfield after leaving Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg at the end of last season.

And the ex-Austria international could be in line to break a Premier League record if he makes an appearance for the Reds in England's top tier.

The record for the longest gap between Premier League games is held by Crystal Palace's Damien Delaney and currently stands at roughly 11-and-a-half-years, according to the BBC.

Manninger's most recent top flight appearance arrived in Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Southampton on the final day of the 2000/2001 season and he would claim Delaney's somewhat unwanted achievement for himself if he is picked by Klopp at some point during the forthcoming campaign.

However, given that Manninger is third-choice goalkeeper behind Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius such a feat could be beyond him.

But the veteran is still delighted to have been given a chance to prove his worth and believes he isn't fit for the scrap heap just yet.

"Honestly, it was a surprise. After these years I hadn’t given up, I hadn’t said ‘that’s it’, I still waited for the phone call," he told Liverpool's official website.

"This is the moment I was waiting for until the end.

"I’ve still got something left, for sure, but obviously it’s probably not the time for me to push for the next three or four years to get a place in the goal.

"But if I’m called up, I’m definitely there for games, I will play," he insisted.

Liverpool begin their Premier League campaign against Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday August 14.

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