Simon Mignolet is prepared to fight to regain his Liverpool starting place

The Belgian keeper returned to the side for Tuesday's EFL Cup win over Tottenham but manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear ahead of the match that Karius is his number one.

The 23-year-old German was a summer signing from Klopp's former club Mainz.

Mignolet joined Liverpool from Sunderland in 2013 and signed a new deal in January but his time at Anfield has been blighted by errors and inconsistent displays.

He told national newspapers: "I don't want to be a number two, that's clear. I want to play.

"I will never give up fighting. Firstly, because that's not in my character, to just give up. Secondly, because I am not in a situation where I can sit on the bench. I'm 28 years old and I want to play week in, week out.

"So I'll work hard and I'll never give up. I see it as a challenge that I can overcome. So hopefully it will be a fair challenge based on performances put in on the pitch."