Loris Karius is not ruling out a future at Newcastle United especially if it gives him the opportunity to finish his journey of redemption. The goalkeeper started for the Magpies in the Carabao Cup Final – his first competitive apppearance in more than two years.
Loris Karius said: “Well if we would have won the cup, it would have been a great story, but unfortunately it’s not the dream ending, but who knows? Maybe we will be here again next year with Newcastle. Maybe I’ll play another one. You never know football. I think the last week showed me again in football, everything is possible – up and down. So who knows, I’m not writing anything off – hopefully the story will have a very good ending one day.”
Pressed further on his current contract and future at the club,
Lorio Karius added: “It’s until the summer and we will see, we will sit together, but there is no need for it at this moment.”
The German shot-stopper was helpless to keep out Manchester United’s two goals – the first from Casemiro and the second as Sven Botman sent Marcus Rashford’s effort looping over Karius, and despite Newcastle having the larger share of possession, it was largely down to their goalkeeper that the score remained as it did. Karius was alert to save efforts from Wout Weghorst and Rashford and was for some the standout performer for Newcastle on an afternoon where it could have been all so different.
Loris Karius added: “I’m disappointed we didn’t win the game, I really had a good feeling today that we’re going to bring the cup to Newcastle. I just tried to do my job and help the team. I think I played pretty well for the time I was out for. It’s not easy as a goalkeeper to get straight in the rhythm in a game like this. So, I think I did quite well but ultimately, of course, I wish we would have brought home the cup. It’s the worst feeling to go up there [to collect your medal] and be applauded when you’re not winning. We came into this with a lot of confidence and a lot of belief that we could do it. We thought we were the team that can bring them down but in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. The luck in small moments wasn’t on our side and you need a bit of luck to win a game like this when it’s really 50-50, so everyone’s really disappointed but we have a lot of quality players, a lot of young players that will play many more games like this in the future.”
Given his last competitive game was back in February 2021 for Union Berlin against Hoffenheim, many might shrink at the prospect of walking out at a cup final and in one of Europe’s great arenas. Yet, Karius didn’t – he maintained that despite all the attention surrounding his return to first-team action, his build-up was relatively nerves free.
Loris Karius said: “[I was] pretty relaxed because I didn’t really read much or pay much attention. I just focused on the training to get into a good rhythm for the game and try to prepare as well as I could so to be ready myself and then you go in the game with a good feeling. So that’s what I tried to do and didn’t really pay much attention to everything that was going on around.”
Yet, Karius is not naive to what was written or said – his fall from grace at Liverpool following the Champions League Final against Real Madrid was somewhat brutal, and he admitted it hadn’t been an easy time.
Loris Karius said: “[It’s] not been the easiest, a lot of setbacks, but I just tried to keep on working and putting the work in that people don’t really see so that when an opportunity like this comes, you’re ready, you know, and then go into a game like this with a good feeling. So football is not always easy. It’s really fun when you’re at the top, but it can be not so fun when, when you’re at the bottom. So I’ve experienced both in my career. I’ve learned from everything and I’m just still hungry. I’ve got a lot of years to play and I showed today that I don’t need to hide or anything – I can still perform at this level.”
