It didn't work out at Liverpool but Kirkland will hope good form for Wigan keeps him in Fabio Capello's mind for England
When Chris Kirkland was 11, his dad and some friends bet £100 each at a miserly 100/1 that the unknown kid would play for England. Impressive early performances at Coventry persuaded Liverpool to pay £6 million on the last day of the summer 2001 transfer window, but he was kept out of Gerard Houllier’s first team by Jerzy Dudek and sporadic injury.
After Rafa Benitez signed Jose Reina and Scott Carson, Kirkland went on a season’s loan to West Brom in 2005/06, but was injured and replaced (this time by Tomas Kuszczak). His luck changed in summer 2006: a six-month loan move to Wigan was quickly made permanent and he finally played for England in August 2006, as a sub in a friendly against Greece. An excellent shot-stopper, Kirkland will hope to catch Fabio Capello’s eye.