The Georgian giant lined up as Liverpool's next No 1: Why Reds believe Giorgi Mamardashvili can replace Alisson, what insiders think of the goalkeeper - and how the club stole a march on rivals to land him

Georgia were about to play their first tournament since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and Daily Mail Sport was chatting to a well-placed source for the low-down on the underdogs.

We quizzed them on the merits of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and were stopped in our tracks.

'No, no, no,' they butted in when asked to wax lyrical about the then-Napoli magician, who has since left and won the Champions League with the French giants.

'Kvara is obviously the poster boy but we are just as reliant on Giorgi, the Valencia goalkeeper,' the source said.